Indigent sleep after the age of 40 can extend the age of the brain by years: research shows

Lack of sleep not only makes you feel groggy the next day, but the effects can be long-lasting. In addition to mounting evidence, scientists have found that destitute sleep quality during the Middle Ages is linked to accelerated brain aging over the next ten years.

A recent study that assessed participants’ brain health using brain scans found that destitute sleep quality in your 40s can add years to your brain age.

“Previous research has linked sleep problems with destitute thinking and memory later in life, which put people at greater risk of dementia. “Our study, which used brain scans to determine the brain age of participants, suggests that destitute sleep is associated with almost three years of additional brain aging in midlife,” said study author Clémence Cavaillès of the University of California, San Francisco in press release.

The researchers assessed the sleep patterns of 589 participants, whose average age was 40, using questionnaires at the beginning of the study and five years later. After 15 years, researchers assessed participants’ brain shrinkage using brain scans.

The questionnaires assessed participants on six sleep problems: difficulty falling asleep, waking up between dreams, waking up too early, miniature sleep duration, destitute sleep quality and daytime sleepiness.

Based on the results, participants were divided into three groups depending on sleep quality. People in the lower group had only one destitute sleep trait and 70% were in this group. However, the middle group, with 22% of participants, had two to three destitute sleep characteristics, while the high group, with more than three destitute sleep characteristics, made up 8% of the population.

After analyzing brain scans and sleep patterns, researchers found that the average brain age of participants in the middle group was 1.6 years older than that of those in the lower group. Meanwhile, those in the high group showed an average brain age that was 2.6 years older than the low group.

Of the six destitute sleep characteristics examined, destitute sleep quality, difficulty falling asleep, difficulty staying asleep and waking up early were associated with greater brain age. This was especially forceful when participants had it consistently for more than five years.

“Our findings highlight the importance of addressing sleep problems early in life to maintain brain health, including maintaining a consistent sleep schedule, exercising, avoiding caffeine and alcohol before bed, and using relaxation techniques,” said author Dr. Kristine Yaffe of the University of California in San Francisco.