Losing just one night of sleep fuels brain proteins linked to the development of Alzheimer’s disease, suggests new research.
Researchers at Uppsala University in Sweden tracked 15 men with an average age of 22, all of whom reported regularly getting seven to nine hours of good sleep a night.
For two days and nights, the men were observed under a strict meal and activity schedule in a sleep clinic, with blood samples taken every evening and morning.
The first time around participants were allowed to get a good night of sleep both nights. Then a second time, they had good sleep on the first night followed by a second night of sleep deprivation, with the men sitting up in bed playing games, watching films, or talking while the lights were kept on.
The researchers found the men had an average 17% increase in levels of tau – rogue compounds in the blood linked to Alzheimer’s disease – after one night without sleep, compared to a 2% rise after a good night’s sleep.
It’s thought that the build up of too much tau proteins in the brain can cause ‘tangles’, which can develop in the leadup to the appearance of dementia.
Other studies have linked sleep problems suffered by shift workers to dementia and Alzheimer’s, and have suggested that sleep deprivation can increase the level of tau in the cerebral spinal fluid, but this study suggests that even one night of missed sleep can have an impact. Researchers have issued a warning to anyone planning to pull an all-nighter, whether for studying, work, or due to insomnia, about the potential risks.
That being said, there were no differences in four other biomarkers associated with Alzheimer’s.
Study author Dr Jonathan Cedernaes said: ‘It’s important to note that while higher levels of tau in the brain are not good, in the context of sleep loss we do not know what higher levels of tau in blood represent.
‘When neurons are active, production of tau in the brain is increased. Higher levels in the blood may reflect that these tau proteins are being cleared from the brain or they may reflect elevated tau levels in the brain.
‘Future studies are needed to investigate this further, as well as to determine how long these changes in tau last, and to determine whether changes in tau in blood reflects a mechanism by which recurrent exposure to restricted, disrupted or irregular sleep may increase the risk of dementia.
‘Such studies could provide key insight into whether interventions targeting sleep should begin at an early age to reduce a person’s risk of developing dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.’
Previous research has suggested that chronic poor sleep and insomnia can lead to the irreversible loss of brain cells, but that sleeping for nine hours or more per night may be linked to dementia, too.
It’s thought that alterations to the body clock can trigger symptoms of memory loss.
Previous research has revealed chronic sleep loss can lead to irreversible loss of brain cells.
Dr Cedernaes said: ‘Many of us experience sleep deprivation at some point in our lives due to jet lag, pulling an all-nighter to complete a project, or even doing shift work, working overnights or inconsistent hours.
‘Our exploratory study shows that even in young, healthy individuals, missing one night of sleep increases the level of tau in blood suggesting that over time, such sleep deprivation could possibly have detrimental effects.’
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source https://metro.co.uk/2020/01/09/losing-just-one-night-sleep-linked-alzheimers-disease-12028090/
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