Research has increasingly highlighted the critical role of sleep in maintaining cognitive health, with recent findings revealing yet another reason to make it a priority. A new study has uncovered that insufficient time spent in the two deep stages of sleep—slow-wave sleep and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep—may accelerate the deterioration of brain regions associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
According to lead study author Gawon Cho, who is a postdoctoral associate in internal medicine at the Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut, deficits in both slow-wave and REM sleep correlate with the shrinking of specific brain areas that serve as early indicators of cognitive decline and the onset of Alzheimer’s. “Our research indicated that the volume of the inferior parietal region, which plays a crucial role in synthesizing sensory input and visuospatial awareness, was reduced in individuals who experienced inadequate slow-wave and REM sleep,” Cho explained. “This finding aligns with the understanding that neurodegeneration often manifests in this region during the initial stages of the disease.”
Dr. Richard Issacson, a preventive neurologist and founder of one of the first Alzheimer’s prevention clinics in the United States, echoed the study’s conclusions. In a recent email, he shared that his extensive clinical experience treating adults who are at risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease supports the study’s implications. The emerging evidence emphasizes the importance of prioritizing quality sleep to not only enhance overall health but also to potentially mitigate cognitive decline associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
