A RECENT sleep study recently unveiled the effects that lack of sleep has on the brain.
Experts have warned that lack of sleep can lead to issues with cognitive function later in life.
Is sleep deprivation linked to dementia?
A new study has proven the dramatic link between sleep deprivation and brain development.
A study published by Nature Communications followed 8,000 people in Britain for 25 years starting at age 50.
Those who slept six hours or less a night increased their risk of dementia by 30% compared to those who got seven hours or more of sleep.
NYU professors say sleep helps clear the brain of protein fragments called plaques associated with Alzheimer's.
"Sleep is important for normal brain function and is also thought to be important for clearing toxic proteins that build up in dementias from the brain," said Tara Spires-Jones, who is deputy director of the Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences at The University of Edinburgh in Scotland, in a statement.
Spires-Jones was not involved in the study.
What else did the study find?
A week of disrupted sleep increased the amount of tau, another protein responsible for the tangles associated with Alzheimer's, frontal lobe dementia and Lewy body disease, the study found.
"Our findings align with the idea that worse sleep may contribute to the accumulation of Alzheimer's-related proteins in the brain," Barbara Bendlin of the Wisconsin Alzheimer's Disease Research Center told CNN in 2017.
"The fact that we can find these effects in people who are cognitively healthy and close to middle age suggests that these relationships appear early, perhaps providing a window of opportunity for intervention," Bendlin said.
Although there is no "sure-fire" scientific way to prevent dementia, people can change certain behavior to reduce their risk, said Sara Imarisio, who heads strategic initiatives at Alzheimer's Research UK.
"The best evidence suggests that not smoking, only drinking in moderation, staying mentally and physically active, eating a balanced diet, and keeping cholesterol and blood pressure levels in check can all help to keep our brains healthy as we age."
What else can sleep deprivation effect?
A lack of sleep nearly doubles the risk of sex-related problems in women, experts have warned.
If you're consistently failing to get enough sleep then it could impact how much satisfaction you're getting between the sheets.
A new study, published in Menopause: The Journal of The North American Menopause Society found that good quality sleep is linked to a better, more pleasurable sex life.
Experts analysed questionnaires on sleep and sex from 3,400 women.
The women had an average age of 53, but the experts did not disclose what kind of professions the women were in and if there was any link to this.
As well as answering questions about sleep quality, the women were also asked to rate how satisfied they were with their sex lives.
The study found that those who had less sleep had higher levels of distress when it came to their sex lives and that those who had a better quality of sleep experienced a better sex life.
It found that women who slept for less than five hours every night were less likely to enjoy their time under the sheets, in comparison to those who had five hours or more.
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