“Deep Sleep Can Help Prevent Memory Loss in Older Adults and Reduce Risk of Alzheimer’s, Study Finds”

Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia, affects memory and, in advanced forms, can interfere with people’s ability to perform basic daily tasks. About one in nine people over the age of 65 suffer from this progressive disease.

Is there anything we can do to make sure we don’t end up in this situation? Yes, say the scientists.

In addition to activities that keep the mind sharp, such as years of education as well as social engagement, a new study has shown that deep sleep can help prevent memory loss in older adults who face a high risk of Alzheimer’s.

Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, say that deep sleep, also known as non-REM sleep, may act as a “cognitive back-up factor” in these patients, they write The Independent.

The protein known as beta-amyloid has been linked to memory loss caused by dementia, and science has shown that disrupted sleep is associated with a faster build-up of this molecule in the brain.

Researchers have also found that too little deep sleep of this type is a predictor of a more severe form of dementia in the future.

“Sleep is something we can change. It’s a modifiable factor,” said Matthew Walker, one of the authors of the study in which the patients also underwent CT scans.

“People should be aware that despite having some level of pathology, there are certain lifestyle factors that will help moderate and lessen the effects. One of these factors is sleep, and especially deep sleep,” said Zsófia Zavecz, another author of the research.