Poor sleep could have an impact on brain health, according to a new study, in another blow to shift and night duty workers struggling to attain enough shuteye.
The research, a review of over 100 existing studies, found that sleep characteristics like poor quality or lack of sleep, as well as sleep disorders, were linked to lower brain volume. The evidence suggests that inadequate sleep could contribute to neurodegeneration.
While there’s a clear overlap, the connection between our sleep and the health of our brains is poorly understood and needs to be looked at more closely, said lead study author, PhD candidate Dr Tergel Namsrai, of the Australian National University (ANU).
“We now have stronger evidence that sleep could be a really important factor when it comes to brain health,” she said.
“We found, for example, people living with REM sleep behaviour disorders had lower grey matter volume in an area of the frontal lobe called the right frontal gyrus. This region is one of the first parts of the brain where we see evidence of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.”
Dr Namsrai set out to better understand the link between sleep and brain health.
“Sleep itself can be hard to study. There are a number of ways it can be measured. For example, you can look at sleep duration, sleep quality, waking up or sleep disturbances. We tried to look at it all as comprehensively as possible.”
The results highlighted the importance of monitoring and managing sleep health and early intervention where possible.
“It underscores the need to assess sleep during routine medical check-ups, and trying to catch complaints early on, before they progress to major sleep disorders.
“It’s important any future research also includes diverse populations, covering different age ranges, professions and ethnic origins, while also accounting for things like shift work that are linked to poor sleep.
“This will allow for more targeted and personalised intervention.”
The study is published in peer-reviewed journal Sleep Medicine.
