What is the connection between sleep and Alzheimer s disease

You shouldn't stay up all night worrying about it, but a new study has found a connection between a lack of sleep and a biomolecule thought to be important in the development of alzheimer's disease.Multiple factors, including aging, sleep disorders, and environmental factors, lead to sleep disturbance and increased wakefulness at night.Research also suggests that there may be a connection between poor sleep and the onset of alzheimer's.Sleep deprivation enhances pathological plaque formation in the brains of mice.Alzheimer's is the most common form of dementia, affecting roughly 5.5 million americans.Poor sleep may increase your risk of alzheimer's disease, and patients with alzheimer's disease have difficulty sleeping and a disrupted.

Open in a separate window.Hypothetical model of the relationship between sleep and alzheimer's disease.Understanding the link between obstructive sleep apnea and alzheimer's disease begins with understanding the role sleep plays in our cognitive health.Evidence of a link between sleep and risk of alzheimer's has led to investigations to explain the brain activity that underlies this connection in humans.Sleep deprivation and the risk of developing alzheimer's.Years of studies have confirmed that the brain, once thought to be passive during sleep, is actually very active and dependent on sleep to carry out important functions.