People who report poor quality of sleep as they age from their 50s to their 60s have more protein tangles in their brain, putting them at higher risk of developing Alzheimer's disease later in life.
A study highlights the importance of sleep at every age to maintain a healthy brain into old age. "Insufficient sleep across the lifespan is significantly predictive of your development of Alzheimer's disease pathology in the brain."
A team of researchers at University of California in the US found that adults reporting a decline in sleep quality in their 40s and 50s had more beta-amyloid protein in their brains later in life, as measured by positron emission tomography, or PET.
Those reporting a sleep decline in their 50s and 60s had more tau protein tangles. Both beta-amyloid and tau clusters are associated with a higher risk of developing dementia.