Sleep Disturbances Are an Early Warning Sign of Alzheimer's

Sleeping pills stop Alzheimer's disease

Sleeping Pills Cleanse the Brain of Proteins Responsible for Alzheimer's

Scientists are working hard to find a cure for Alzheimer's disease, or even a way to prevent it. While the disease remains a perplexing mystery to scientists, no definitive treatment has been found. However, the latest development in this field is the exciting discovery made by a team of scientists who have demonstrated that a commonly used sleeping pill could be a preventative measure against the disease or even a starting point for a treatment.

Many scientists are working hard to understand the relationship between sleep deprivation and the progression of Alzheimer's disease, according to a report published by the Science Alert website.

In a study published in 2023, scientists found that using sleeping pills to get some rest may reduce the buildup of toxic protein clumps in the fluid that cleanses the brain each night.

Researchers from Washington University in St. Louis found that people who took Suvorexant, a common insomnia medication, for two nights at a sleep clinic experienced slight reductions in two proteins, amyloid beta and tau, that accumulate in Alzheimer's disease.

Although this study is short and includes a small group of healthy adults, it provides interesting evidence of the relationship between sleep and molecular markers of Alzheimer's disease.

Sleep disturbances can be an early warning sign of Alzheimer's disease, preceding other symptoms, such as memory loss and cognitive decline. By the time the first symptoms appear, abnormal levels of amyloid beta have nearly reached their peak, forming clumps called plaques that clog brain cells.

Researchers believe that enhancing sleep may be one way to prevent Alzheimer's disease by allowing the sleeping brain to clear out residual proteins and other waste products of the day.

While sleeping pills may help, "it's too early for people concerned about Alzheimer's disease to interpret that as a reason to start taking Suvorexant every night," said Brendan Lucey, a neurologist at the University of Washington Center for Sleep Medicine, who led the research.

The study lasted only two nights and involved 38 middle-aged participants who showed no signs of cognitive impairment and had no sleep problems. Doctors say that long-term use of sleeping pills isn't ideal for those suffering from poor sleep, as they are easy to become dependent on.

Sleeping pills may also lull people into shallow sleep rather than deep sleep. This could be problematic, as a previous study by Lucey and colleagues found a link between poor-quality slow-wave sleep and higher levels of tau tangles and beta-amyloid protein.

In their latest study, Lucey and colleagues wanted to see if improving sleep with sleeping pills could reduce levels of tau and beta-amyloid in the cerebrospinal fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord. Previous studies show that just one night of interrupted sleep can lead to elevated levels of beta amyloid.