The Sleep-Brain Age Connection: How Rest Impacts Cognitive Health
A new study reveals that poor sleep habits contribute to faster brain aging, with MRI scans showing older brain appearances in individuals with unhealthy sleep profiles. The research emphasizes the modifiable nature of sleep habits and their potential to protect brain health by reducing inflammation and improving waste clearance.
Recent research uncovers a critical link between sleep quality and brain aging, illustrating that poor sleep may lead to accelerated cognitive decline. Detailed analyses of MRI scans for over 27,000 adults revealed that poor sleepers tend to have brains that appear older than those of individuals with healthier sleep habits.
This extensive study evaluated sleep across five key dimensions, determining that poor sleep could widen the age gap between brain and chronological age by approximately six months. An older-appearing brain was associated with increased risks of cognitive impairment and other neurological conditions. Inflammation and the brain's waste clearance system may explain the connection.
The study highlights sleep's role in maintaining brain health, noting that while aging is inevitable, improving sleep habits can help manage brain aging. Simple changes in sleep hygiene, such as regular sleep schedules and reducing evening screen use, might slow brain aging and enhance long-term cognitive health.
(With inputs from agencies.)
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