Lack of Sleep Promotes Alzheimer’s by Preventing Critical Detoxification
By Dr. Mercola
Sleep disturbances are endemic in the US, where nearly 40 percent of
adults report unintentionally falling asleep during the day in the past
month, and five percent report nodding off while driving.1
Forty-five percent of teens also don't get enough sleep on school nights
and 25 percent report falling asleep in class at least once a week.
Lack of sleep
has ramifications that go far beyond not feeling fully awake and
refreshed during the day. There's a price to pay in terms of health,
both short- and long-term.
A number of studies have linked poor sleep or lack of sleep to an
increased risk of Alzheimer's for example, and one of the reasons for
this has to do with the fact that your brain's waste removal system only
operates during deep sleep.
Your Brain Needs Sleep for Waste Removal
There's no cure for Alzheimer's disease, which makes prevention all the
more important, and sleeping well appears to be an important part of
prevention. Studies2,3 published in 2012 and 2013 revealed that your brain actually has a unique method of removing toxic waste.
This waste-removal system has been dubbed the glymphatic system,4,5,6,7,8
and operates in a way that is similar to your body's lymphatic system,
which is responsible for eliminating cellular waste products.
However, the lymphatic system does not include your brain. The reason
for this is that your brain is a closed system, protected by the
blood-brain barrier, which controls what can go through and what cannot.
The glymphatic system gets into your brain by "piggybacking" on the
blood vessels in your brain. (The "g" in glymphatic is a nod to "glial
cells"—the brain cells that manage this system.)
By pumping cerebral spinal fluid through your brain's tissues, the
glymphatic system flushes the waste from your brain back into your
body's circulatory system. From there, the waste eventually reaches your
liver, where it's ultimately eliminated.
The clincher is that this system ramps up its activity during sleep,
thereby allowing your brain to clear out toxins, including harmful
proteins called amyloid-beta, the buildup of which has been linked to
Alzheimer's.
During sleep, the glymphatic system becomes 10 times more active than
during wakefulness. Simultaneously, your brain cells shrink by about 60
percent, allowing for greater efficiency of waste removal.
During the day, the constant brain activity causes your brain cells to
swell in size until they take up just over 85 percent of your brain's
volume,9 thereby disallowing effective waste removal during wakefulness.
More recently, researchers discovered10 that the blood-brain barrier naturally tends to become more permeable with age, allowing more toxins to enter.
In conjunction with reduced efficiency of the glymphatic system, damage
in both your brain and blood-brain barrier can start to accumulate at an
increased pace. This deterioration is thought to play a significant
role in the development of Alzheimer's.
Sleep Is Not a Luxury, It's an Essential for Good Health
As noted in a recent issue of Time Magazine:11
"Sleep, the experts are recognizing, is the only time the brain has
to catch its breath. If it doesn't, it may drown in its own biological
debris... [Sleep researcher Dr. Sigrid] Veasey is learning that brain
cells that don't get their needed break every night are like overworked
employees on consecutive double shifts–eventually, they collapse.
Working with mice, she found that neurons that fire constantly to
keep the brain alert spew out toxic free radicals as a by-product of
making energy. During sleep, they produce antioxidants that mop up these
potential poisons.
But even after short periods of sleep loss, 'the cells are working
hard but cannot make enough antioxidants, so they progressively build up
free radicals and some of the neurons die off...'
The consequences of deprived sleep, says Dr. Mary Carskadon,
professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at Brown University, are
scary, really scary."
Omega-3 and Vitamin D May Control Brain Serotonin, Research Suggests
Speaking of brain health, recent research12,13 suggests that animal-based omega-3 and vitamin D
can improve cognitive function and behavior associated with certain
psychiatric conditions—including ADHD, bipolar disorder, and
schizophrenia—by regulating your brain's serotonin levels. As reported
by ProHealth:14
"Many clinical disorders, such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD),
attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), bipolar disorder,
schizophrenia, and depression share as a unifying attribute low brain
serotonin.
'In this paper, we explain how serotonin is a critical modulator of
executive function, impulse control, sensory gating, and pro-social
behavior,' says Dr. Patrick. 'We link serotonin production and
function to vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids, suggesting one way these
important micronutrients help the brain function and affect the way we
behave...'
Their paper illuminates the mechanistic links that explain why low
vitamin D... and marine omega-3 deficiencies interact with genetic
pathways, such as the serotonin pathway, that are important for brain
development, social cognition, and decision-making, and how these
gene-micronutrient interactions may influence neuropsychiatric
outcomes."
The omega-3 fatty acid EPA reduces inflammatory signaling molecules in
your brain that inhibit serotonin release from presynaptic neurons,
thereby boosting your serotonin levels. DHA also has a beneficial
influence on serotonin receptors, by increasing their access to
serotonin.
According to the researchers, optimizing your vitamin D along with the
animal-based omega-3 fats EPA and DHA can help optimize your brain
serotonin concentrations and function, and may help prevent and/or
ameliorate psychiatric symptoms without adverse side effects. Serotonin
is also an immediate precursor to melatonin, which has many important health benefits, including a reduced cancer risk.
Are You Getting Enough Sleep?
The latest sleep guidelines,
based on 300 studies looking at the health effects of sleep, confirm
that most adults need right around eight hours of sleep for optimal
health. Forty percent of American adults get only six hours of sleep or
less however, and 58 percent of teens—who need anywhere from eight to 10
hours—average only seven hours or less. This kind of sleep debt is a
recipe for health problems down the road, and an increased risk of
dementia is just one potential side effect.
Individual sleep requirements can vary, of course, based on age, life
circumstances, and health status. So how can you be sure you're getting
the right amount for you? The following seven signs indicate you need to
address your sleep schedule because you're not getting enough sleep:15
|
You're moody |
Chronic insomnia is associated with a greater risk for depression and anxiety,16 and even one night of insufficient sleep can have a dramatic impact on your mood. According to Lauren Hale,17 editor-in-chief of the journal Sleep Health:"If you're sleep deprived, you're more vulnerable to crankiness, irritability, and challenges coping with stress." |
|
Your work/study performance and productivity is subpar |
Basic cognitive functions such as logic reasoning, focus, and even word
retrieval can suffer when you're tired. According to Harvard Medical
School,18 insomnia costs the American economy more than $63 billion each year in lost productivity. Sleep has also been shown to boost creative functioning and promote problem solving, both of which are valuable attributes in just about any profession. |
|
You're gaining weight and/or developing other signs of insulin resistance or type 2 diabetes |
Research19,20 shows that poor sleep and/or lack of sleep can have a significant bearing on metabolic disorders such as weight gain, insulin resistance, and diabetes.
Sleep exerts a marked modulatory effect on glucose metabolism, and lack
of sleep will increase your risk of insulin resistance and type 2
diabetes. Shift-work, for example, has been shown to rapidly shift
healthy people into a pre-diabetic state.21
Lack of sleep also decreases levels of the fat regulating hormone
leptin while increasing the hunger hormone ghrelin. The resulting
increase in hunger and appetite can easily lead to overeating and weight
gain.22,23 |
|
Signs of sleep deprivation are showing on your face |
You can usually tell when someone hasn't slept well by how they look. A recent Swedish study24
looked at facial cues showing sleep deprivation, finding that people
readily identified hanging eyelids, red swollen eyes, dark under-eye
circles, pale skin, more wrinkles, and more droopy corners of the mouth
as tell-tale signs of a poor night's sleep. |
|
You're exhibiting poor judgment and/or lack of self-control |
As noted in the featured article:25
"Accurately reading social situations and making good decisions both
heavily depend on the brain's capacity to process emotions. But when
people are sleep deprived, the region of the brain involved with
emotional processing, the prefrontal cortex, 'basically goes to
sleep...'
And there's evidence being sleepy makes people sneaky, too:
Sleep-deprived employees are more likely to cut corners and take credit
for others work, according to research... Why? 'Presumably,' writes Jex
and Britt, not getting enough Zzs results in a reduced amount of
self-control." |
|
Your libido is "missing in action" |
Intimacy usually falls by the wayside when you're exhausted. One recent study26,27
found that each extra hour of sleep a woman got corresponded to a 14
percent increase in the likelihood of sexual activity the following day.
Those who slept more on average also reported greater vaginal
lubrication during sex, compared to those who averaged less sleep. |
|
You're drowsy during the day, and/or involuntarily fall asleep |
Daytime sleepiness is a clear sign that you didn't get enough sleep the
night before. So, if you're constantly yawning, and/or guzzle coffee to
keep yourself going, you need to head to bed earlier. |
Tips for Better Sleep
Small adjustments to your daily routine and sleeping area can go a long
way toward ensuring you uninterrupted, restful sleep—and thereby better
health. To get you started, check out the suggestions listed in the
table below. For even more helpful guidance on how to improve your
sleep, please review my "33 Secrets to a Good Night's Sleep."
If you're even slightly sleep deprived, I encourage you to implement
some of these tips tonight, as high-quality sleep is one of the most
important factors in your health and quality of life.
|
Optimize your light exposure |
Your pineal gland produces melatonin roughly in approximation to the
contrast of bright sun exposure in the day and complete darkness at
night. If you're in darkness all day long, your body can't appreciate
the difference and will not optimize melatonin production. Sleep researcher Dan Pardi
recommends getting at least 30 to 60 minutes of outdoor light exposure
during the daytime in order to "anchor" your master clock rhythm, in the
morning if possible. More sunlight exposure is required as you age.
Once the sun sets, avoid light as much as possible to assist your body
in secreting melatonin, which helps you feel sleepy. It can be helpful
to sleep in complete darkness, or as close to it as possible. If you
need a bit of light to navigate down the hall in the wee hours of the
night, install a low-wattage yellow, orange, or red light bulb. Light
in these bandwidths does not shut down melatonin production in the way
that white and blue light does. Salt lamps are lovely for this purpose.
You can also download a free application called F.lux that automatically
dims your computer device screens.28 |
|
Address mental states that prevent peaceful slumber |
A sleep disturbance is always caused by something, be it physical,
emotional, or both. Anxiety and anger are two mental states that are
incompatible with sleep. Feeling overwhelmed with responsibilities is
another common sleep blocker.
To identify the cause of your wakefulness, analyze the thoughts that
circle in your mind during the time you lie awake, and look for themes.
Many who have learned the Emotional Freedom Techniques
(EFT) find it is incredibly useful in helping them to sleep. One
strategy is to compile a list of your current concerns, and then "tap"
on each issue. To learn how to tap, please refer to our free EFT guide. |
|
Keep the temperature in your bedroom below 70 degrees Fahrenheit |
Many people keep their homes too warm (particularly their bedrooms). Studies show that the optimal room temperature for sleep is between 60 and 68 degrees Fahrenheit. |
|
Take a hot bath 90 to 120 minutes before bedtime |
This raises your core body temperature, and when you get out of the bath
it abruptly drops, signaling your body that you're ready for sleep. |
|
Avoid watching TV or using electronics in the evening, at least an hour or so before going to bed |
Electronic devices emit blue light,
which tricks your brain into thinking it's still daytime. Normally,
your brain starts secreting melatonin between 9 pm and 10 pm, and these
devices may stifle that process. |
|
Be mindful of electromagnetic fields (EMFs) in your bedroom |
EMFs can disrupt your pineal gland and its melatonin production, and may
have other detrimental biological effects. A gauss meter is required if
you want to measure EMF levels
in various areas of your home. Ideally, you should turn off any
wireless router while you are sleeping—after all, you don't need the
Internet when you sleep. |
|
Develop a relaxing pre-sleep routine |
Going to bed and getting up at the same time each day helps keep your
sleep on track, but having a consistent pre-sleep routine or "sleep
ritual" is also important. For instance, if you read before heading to
bed, your body knows that reading at night signals it's time for sleep.
Sleep specialist Stephanie Silberman, PhD suggests listening to calming
music, stretching, or doing relaxation exercises.29 Mindfulness therapies have also been found helpful for insomnia.30 |
|
Avoid alcohol, caffeine, and other drugs, including nicotine |
Two of the biggest sleep saboteurs are caffeine and alcohol, both of
which also increase anxiety. Caffeine's effects can last four to seven
hours. Tea and chocolate also contain caffeine. Alcohol can help you
fall asleep faster, but it makes sleep more fragmented and less
restorative. Nicotine in all its forms (cigarettes, e-cigs, chewing
tobacco, pipe tobacco, and smoking cessation patches) is also a
stimulant, so lighting up too close to bedtime can worsen insomnia. Many
other drugs can also interfere with sleep. |
|
Use a fitness tracker to help you get to bed on time, and track which activities boost or hinder deep sleep |
To optimize sleep you need to make sure you're going to bed early
enough. If you have to get up at 6:30am, you're just not going to get
enough sleep if you go to bed after midnight. Many fitness trackers
can now track both daytime body movement and sleep, allowing you to get
a better picture of how much sleep you're actually getting. Newer
fitness trackers like Jawbone's UP3, which should be released later this
year, can even tell you which activities led to your best sleep and
what factors resulted in poor sleep. |
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