AM EDIT - Brain Health and Sleep

The guide to

Sleep & Brain Health

Sleep as dementia defense

Sleep and the brain

Better sleep for a healthier brain

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What does healthy sleep have to do with a healthy brain?

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Sleep is essential to overall health

High quality sleep supports a healthy gut microbiome, facilitating digestion.

During sleep, the body balances:

• Appetite hormones (leptin and ghrelin)
• Growth hormones

Adequate sleep helps lower cortisol levels, a hormone tied to stress.

Supports a Healthy Gut Microbiome

Balance Hormones

Lower Cortisol Levels

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It's also essential to cognitive health

Memory consolidation

Sleep converts short-term memories to long-term memories, making us less forgetful.

Learning and executive function

Sleep boosts our attention span, planning abilities, time management, prioritization, emotional control, and other executive functions.

Productivity and creativity

Sleep helps us focus and gives us the energy to think and perform at our best during the day.

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Sleep as an Alzheimer's defense

When we're not sleeping well, the glymphatic system could malfunction, allowing problematic proteins to build up in the brain.

The glymphatic system is like the brain's janitor, and it works at night, clearing out harmful cells as we sleep. It uses spinal fluid to wash away toxic proteins like beta-amyloid, which builds up in the brains of people with Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia.

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Read more on beingpatient.com

Let's get a slide in here with an expert face and quote. Wong might have some things

The importance of deep sleep

Being Patient interviewed Dr. Roger Wong, who notes that getting enough sleep allows your brain to go through its important cleaning cycle, which sets us up to be considerably more well-rested.

Expert Perspective

“During the day, let’s say, you put some dishes in your dishwasher, and you have a buildup of dirt and grime. [Those are] the beta-amyloid proteins that we know are associated with dementia risk...During deep sleep, all of this is drained away, and the beta-amyloid is drained away during the nighttime. That is why deep sleep is critical for us.”

Roger Wong, PhD, MPH, MSWAssistant Professor of Public Health and Preventive Medicine SUNY Upstate Medical University

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Read more on beingpatient.com

Questions researchers are asking

Scientists are still learning more about the link between sleep and brain health.

Are sleeping drugs good or bad for the brain?

Read more

Does sleep apnea increase dementia risk?

Read more

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What happens when you don't get enough sleep?

Long-term

Short-term

Not sleeping enough makes you:

• Forgetful
• Less focused
• More moody

Chronic sleep deprivation also causes:

• Insomnia
• Narcolepsy
• Poor attention span

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REM Sleep

• Memories are consolidated
• Microglia repair the brain
• Immune system is reinforced

Dozing Off

• Transition between sleep and wakefulness
• Benefits from cool and dark setting

Stages of Sleep

Deep Sleep

• Restorative sleep, allowing for bodily recovery and growth

Light Sleep

• Body activity slows
• Prevents daytime fatigue

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Science-backed advice for better sleep

Maintain a regular sleep schedule

Make sure your bedroom is cool, quiet, and dark

Create a relaxing pre-bedtime routine

Avoid long daytime naps

Exercise to manage your stress

Avoid large meals, caffeine, and alcohol before bed

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Research on naps and brain health

Short naps are linked to higher brain volume...

Researchers at Harvard and UCL found that habitual nappers who regularly nap just five to 15 minutes a day have a higher total brain volume, which may aid with alertness and other mental skills. They concluded that daytime napping "may limit cognitive decline as a person ages".

Read more on beingpatient.com

...but too much napping could also lead to Alzheimer's

However, Brigham and Women’s Hospital found a link between excessive daytime napping and cognitive aging: excessive daytime napping as it predicted an increased future risk of Alzheimer’s, and a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s sped up the increase in daytime napping during aging.

Read more on beingpatient.com

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Other studies have found the oppposite - that naps could signal a person has dementia. we can't just mention the good study. include them both here and ping me to review - https://www.beingpatient.com/napping-alzheimers/

Want to learn more?

Visit

beingpatient.com

for the latest news and information on brain health and Alzheimer's disease

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