Is Your Sleep Telling You Something?

Could your sleep schedule reveal the state of your brain? A large study from the American Academy of Neurology suggests that the irregularities of the body’s internal clock (circadian rhythm), which regulates our sleep, could indicate an early warning of dementia. They discovered that adults with more disrupted circadian rhythm have a higher risk of developing dementia.

The circadian rhythm is the body’s natural timing system. It regulates our sleep cycles and helps regulate hormones, body temperature, and digestion. This internal clock is controlled by the brain and responds to external changes, especially with light.

Over 2,000 adults around age 79 who had no dementia were monitored. They used a wearable device to help the researchers track their rest and activity patterns. Researchers found that people whose body clocks were weaker or more irregular were more likely to develop dementia over the following years. Researchers also noted that their peak activity time could be another factor. Those who have peak activities later in a day were more likely to have dementia than those earlier.

“Changes in circadian rhythms happen with aging, and evidence suggests that circadian rhythm disturbances may be a risk factor for neurodegenerative diseases like dementia,” said study author Wendy Wang, MPH, PhD, of the Peter O’Donnell Jr. School of Public Health at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas.

If changes in our sleep patterns signals brain decline, then we must take sleeping more seriously. Sleeping is one of the ways our bodies take a rest, and lack of it might lead to serious consequences we’d regret as we age. What we dismiss as lack of sleep might be a call of the brain for attention.

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