Sleep could influence the development of Alzheimer's Disease

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https://neurosciencenews.com/sleep-waste-clearing-10826/

Alzheimer's Disease is a form of dementia that increases with age.  This disease can be identified by memory loss, confusion, disorientation, etc.  The article explains how sleep deprivation can be a primary factor in whether or not an individual were to develop Alzheimer's.  When we sleep, our glymphatic system pumps cerebral spinal fluid throughout the brain, which washes away the waste in our brain.  This process occurs during deep non-REM sleep, because this sleep phase involves firing neurons from the front of the brain to the back.  The chemicals that are involved with the firing of neurons (sodium, potassium, and organic ions) as we have learned in class, drive osmosis which in turn enables the brain fluid to be dispersed throughout the brain.  If we do not get enough sleep, specifically deep sleep, the glymphatic system cannot cleanse the brain of harmful toxins involved in cognitive dysfunction.

According to our Brain Rules written by Dr. John Medina, adequate sleep is necessary for optimal functioning.  Studies showed that sleep deprivation increased the stress hormone and accelerated the aging process.  "...if healthy 30-year-olds are sleep deprived for six days (averaging , in this study, about four hours of sleep per night) parts of their body chemistry soon revert to that of a 60-year-old"
(Medina 2014).  I am currently in a Psychology of Aging class, where I have learned that age 60+ is when Alzheimer's dramatically increases in case numbers.  Decreased cognitive function, confusion, memory issues, etc. are all symptoms of sleep deprivation similar to symptoms of Alzheimer's disease.  Also, an increase in stress hormones can inhibit the brain from getting what it needs to properly function.  Medina explains that stress produces adrenaline, but too much causes blood vessel scarring (Medina 2014).  These scars attract molecules and create plaques.  If there are plaques in the brain, the blood vessels are thinner and the glymphatic system cannot piggyback off of the blood vessels to disperse the brain-cleaning cerebral brain fluid.  Getting a good night's sleep will decrease your chances of developing Alzheimer's disease by allowing your brain time to clean out toxins, and decreasing the amount of scar-causing adrenaline in blood vessels.

Comments

  1. Kelsie PerezMarch 13, 2019 at 9:09 AM

    This is interesting. I took psychology of aging class as well and remember discussing how Alzheimer's can have many different causes. A lot of the time is genetic and runs in the family but I never knew about sleep. There are a lot of benefits to sleep and that glymphatic system you discussed. Especially for someone who is older, there is more to be worrisome about and the need to be extra careful with your health. I wonder if there are any studies done on this to prove that sleep is an actual contributor to Alzheimer's. It would concern a lot of people especially those older. Maybe even getting more sleep when you are young can make an influence later on.

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  2. Amanda LedbetterMarch 31, 2019 at 9:17 PM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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  3. Britney ReyesApril 19, 2019 at 3:07 PM

    In the Brain Rules book by John Medina he introduced a study done that included the investigation of a rat's neural activity when learning a maze pathway. The study found that in the rat’s sleep there is rapid repetition of the learned maze’s electrical pattern (Medina, 2014, p. 51). With each night of rest the rat preformed better within the maze. The sleeping brain relays learned information rapidly and repetitively therefore aiding in learning memory. With constant repetition memory is in active use. Therefore it makes sense that this study concluded that sleep could influence whether one contracts Alzheimer's since it is a memory disease. If one does not receive sufficient sleep their brain does not have the memory training one would if they slept more.
    Medina, J. (2014). Brain rules: 12 principles for surviving and thriving at work, home and school. Seattle: Pear press.

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  4. Daquaysia BarnesApril 19, 2019 at 8:59 PM

    According to CNN one out of three Americans do not receive the proper amount of sleep and about forty five percent of the rest of the world's population is sleep deprived. In the article a study was conducted which consisted of researchers following three hundred and twenty one people around, who on average aged around sixty one years old, for dozens of years. Over the span of the study thirty two candidates developed dementia and twenty four diagnosed with having Alzheimer's. The results concluded that people who took more than ninety minutes to enter in REM sleep were more likely to develop dementia compared to their counterparts. The article also offered six tips other than an increased amount of sleep that could lower the risk of developing Alzheimer's such as; improving gastrointestinal health, fasting between meals, strengthen synapses through supplements, reduce heavy metal toxicity, cut out inflammatory foods, and balancing hormones.
    https://www.cnn.com/2017/07/05/health/alzheimers-sleep-dementia-study/index.html

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  5. Jasmin PalmerApril 21, 2019 at 5:34 PM

    Sleeping and Alzheimer's disease associating with each other makes a lot of sense. Sleep plays a very important role in how we function in our day-to-day lives, but also how it effects our brain in the future. Not getting enough sleep, or having sleep deprivation makes it difficult for brain cells to communicate effectively. When a study was being done, in which participants stayed up for an entire night and carried out tasks, researchers focused on the cell activity in the temporal lobe. The temporal lobe regulates visual perception and memory, and it was found by Live Science that the lack of sleep can lead to temporary mental lapses that affect memory and visual perception. Because of how sleep effects memory in short term cases, it makes sense that if a person was to continue having lack of sleep, then they are more susceptible to develop Alzheimer's disease.

    https://www.livescience.com/60875-sleep-deprivation-sluggish-brain-cells.html

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