Can A Lack of Sleep Increase the Risk for Alzheimer’s
At the 2012 annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology, researchers from Washington University in St. Louis revealed a study which found that individuals who had inadequate or disrupted sleep—waking up repeatedly during the night—were more likely to show Alzheimer’s disease-related signs than sound sleepers. Previous animal studies suggest that the connection is worth investigating, since mice bred to develop amyloid protein plaques tend to grow deposits earlier if they are sleep deprived.
The study director, Dr. Ju, theorizes that “deep sleep may slow the production of amyloid associated with AD (Alzheimer’s Disease).” Other research with cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) shows that one of its main functions is to clear the brain of debris like beta-amyloid, and this generally occurs when we are asleep. That could explain why poor sleepers—who spend less time in deep sleep—tend to accumulate more of this brain-damaging protein than those who sleep longer.
Unfortunately, the impairment in judgment that can result from a lack of sleep is somewhat like that which may come from an excess of alcohol. It may cause an otherwise intelligent person to believe that they are doing fine on less sleep, when in fact they are losing brain cells at an alarming rate!
Caution: If you or a loved one were prescribed Ambien® (zolpidem), Lunesta® (eszopiclone), or Benadryl for sleep and now are experiencing problems with memory or confusion, or other adverse events, you need to tell your doctor and likely stop taking that medication. The known side effects from Ambien® include “a loss of memory.” Benadryl can also adversely affect memory. And the website for Lunesta®—the most popular of the three drugs—warns:
“LUNESTA may cause serious side effects that you may not know are happening to you including… not thinking clearly, acting strangely, confused or upset, or walking, eating, driving or engaging in other activities while asleep. Other abnormal behaviors include aggressiveness, agitation, hallucinations and confusion. In depressed patients, worsening of depression including risk of suicide may occur. These risks may increase if you drink alcohol. Severe allergic reactions such as swelling of the tongue and throat occur rarely but may be fatal. Call your doctor if you experience any of these or other reactions that concern you. LUNESTA, like most sleep medicines, carries some risk of dependency.” (See better alternatives below.)
You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
