Sleep quality has a major impact on brain health and the risk of dementia, according to researchers.
As quoted in the Channel News Asia broadcast on Sunday, according to a study published in Neurology, people in their 30s and 40s with severely disturbed sleep were two to three times more likely to have lower results in executive function, working memory and processing speed about a decade later.
Scientists believe that deep sleep and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep have a significant impact on brain health and the risk of dementia.
A study published last month of people with deep and REM sleep deprivation found that the subjects' brains showed signs of atrophy in MRI scans 13 to 17 years after the deprivation was observed.
The atrophy appears similar to what is found in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease.
