Poor sleep in midlife accelerates brain aging by up to three years

A recent study published recently in the online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, suggests that poor sleep in midlife may accelerate brain aging, with effects that may be felt even a decade later, according to La Opinión. Digital. A study led by Dr. Christina Yaffe of the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) shows that people in early middle age who have poor sleep quality, including difficulty falling or staying asleep, show more signs of poor brain health later in life. . fifties.

The study included approximately 600 adults with an average age of 40 at the start of the study. Participants completed sleep questionnaires at baseline and five years later, revealing differences in brain aging based on sleep quality. The researchers focused on various sleep characteristics, including duration, quality, difficulty falling or staying asleep, early awakening, and daytime sleepiness.

Participants reported their sleep characteristics via questionnaires, answering questions such as: “Do you usually have trouble falling asleep?” and “Do you usually wake up several times during the night?” as reported by *Gulf Times*. At the start of the study, approximately 70% of participants reported only one poor sleep characteristic, placing them in the low sleep group. About 22% were in the moderate group with two to three poor sleep characteristics, and 8% were in the high group with more than three sleep problems.

After 15 years, participants underwent MRI scans of the brain to determine the biological age of the brain. The researchers used machine learning to assess changes in brain structures over the study period. The results showed that poor sleep was associated with brain age in midlife. According to *The Hill*, researchers found a “dose-response relationship” between sleep quality at age 40 and brain age 15 years later.

Participants who reported two or three poor sleep characteristics at age 40 had brain ages that were 1.6 years older than those who reported only one characteristic. Additionally, those who reported more than three characteristics of poor sleep had a brain age that was 2.6 years older than their peers. Dr Christine Yaffe said: “Our study, which used brain scans to determine the age of participants’ brains, suggests that poor sleep is associated with an increase in brain aging by an average of three years in midlife.”

“The sleep characteristics most associated with brain age were poor sleep quality, difficulty falling asleep, difficulty staying asleep and difficulty waking up early,” Gulf Times reported. This connection was especially strong when people had suffered from these sleep problems continuously for at least five years.

According to The Hill, Dr. Clémence Cavailles said, “Progressive brain aging is associated with cognitive decline and atrophy associated with Alzheimer’s disease.” She added that the new study “used brain scans to determine the age of participants’ brains and suggests that poor sleep is associated with nearly three years of additional brain aging as early as middle age.” “Poor sleep may therefore be an important target for early interventions aimed at preventing neurocognitive decline, even before amyloid and tau accumulation begins,” Dr. Cavailles said.

The researchers stressed that the study only shows associations and cannot prove that poor sleep directly ages the brain, but it does reveal an important correlation. Dr. Christine Yaffe, MD, of the University of California, San Francisco, said: “Our findings highlight the importance of addressing sleep problems early in life to maintain brain health, including maintaining a consistent sleep schedule, exercise, and avoiding caffeine and alcohol before sleep and the use of relaxation techniques,” according to La Opinión Digital.

Practices such as establishing a consistent sleep schedule, exercising regularly, reducing caffeine and alcohol intake before bed, and using relaxation techniques may be key to preventing sleep problems and their negative long-term consequences. Experts recommend getting seven to nine hours of sleep each night to maintain optimal brain function. The study was funded by the National Institute on Aging.

Additionally, a separate study published in the journal Neurology and conducted by Yale University researchers found that middle-aged adults with uncontrolled risk factors such as high blood pressure, elevated blood sugar or cholesterol levels, and those who do not exercise, do not adhere to eat a healthy diet or have sleep problems have a higher risk of developing stroke, dementia and depression in the future. Dr. Santiago Clocchiatti-Tuozzo, author of the Yale study, explained: “Our study shows that making healthy lifestyle choices in midlife can have a significant impact on brain health later in life,” reports Gulf Times.

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This finding supports the idea that taking care of your sleep, along with other healthy habits, may be critical to maintaining cognitive function in old age. The impact of poor sleep habits on brain health remains an active area of research. Future research should focus on finding new ways to improve sleep quality and examining the long-term effects of sleep on brain health in young people. This study highlights the importance of developing healthy sleep habits from an early age, including maintaining a consistent sleep schedule, exercising, avoiding caffeine and alcohol before bed, and using relaxation techniques.

Sources: Gulf Times, La Opinión Digital, The Hill.

This article was written in collaboration with generative artificial intelligence company Alchemiq.

Poor sleep in midlife accelerates brain aging by up to three years

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