Sleep problems may be linked to brain shrinkage: study
Jordan Chittley, CTVNews.ca Writer
Published
Wednesday, September 3, 2014 5:43PM EDT
Last
Updated Thursday, September 4, 2014 8:43AM EDT
Can a lack
of shut-eye actually cause your brain to shrink?
Sleep
loss may lead to a faster rate of decline in the brain, a new study suggests.
It's an important finding because lower brain volumes are linked to an
increased risk of memory problems and dementia.
Other
studies have concluded sleep problems result in poorer performance on cognitive
tests. But the new research --published in the journal Neurology Wednesday --
found the brain actually changes over the years.
"This
is a really important finding because we are trying to find out what the
purpose of sleep is, and why it is important that we get sleep," lead
author and Oxford researcher Claire Sextontold CTV News. "We found sleep
problems were related to rate decline in some areas of the brain."
To
conduct the study, researchers studied 147 adults of various agesover several
years. The participants had MRI brain scans 3.5 years apart, in addition to
completing a questionnaire about their sleep habits.
The
questionnaire looked at how long people slept, how long it took them to fall
asleep and if they used any sleeping medications.
About a
third of the people in the study had chronically bad sleeps.
At the
end of the study, brain scans showed more rapid decline in widespread areas of
the brainfor participants who had sleep problems – a finding that was worse for
those 60 or older.
"Poor
sleep quality was associated with reduced volume within the superior frontal
cortex and a greater rate of atrophy across the frontal, temporal, and parietal
cortices," the studysaid.
However,researchers
acknowledge that it may be the other way around – meaning that if the brain is
shrinking, it may lead to sleeping problems.
"A
key issue, which our study was not designed to explore directly, is the degree
to which poor sleep quality is a cause or a consequence of brain atrophy,"
the study reads.
Sleep is
good for us, Sexton said, because it helps restore and repair the brain.
"While
the study isn't definitive…try to get a better sleep," Dr. Andrew Lim, a
neurologist at Toronto’s Sunnybrook hospital, told CTV News. "I wouldn't
wait 20 years to see if the study was right or not."
Sexton
said her goal is to see if improved sleep habits can lead to improved brain
health.
"This
is really exciting because it might be if we can improve people's sleep then
this can help slow or prevent declines in brain volumes," she said.
If you
aren't getting enough sleep, Sexton suggests getting into a good night-time
routine, not checking emails or messages in bed, not having caffeine late at
night and getting more exercise during the day. If problems persist, she
suggests seeing a doctor about possible medications.
With
files from CTV's Medical Specialist Avis Favaro and producer Elizabeth St.
Philip
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