A doctor once lamented that he had difficulty getting his patients to exercise more to avoid heart attacks. However, when he told his patients that poor sleep was associated with the development of Alzheimer's Disease, they immediately adopted healthy sleeping habits. The threat of heart attacks didn't scare them, but dementia did!
How is sleep related to Alzheimer's Disease, or risk factors for Alzheimer's? And how might getting a good night's sleep regularly protect you?
the accumulation of beta-amyloid plaque (a risk factor for Alzheimer's).
In short, too much sleep―either as overnight sleep or naps―increases risks, but quality sleep reduces them.
a single copy of the apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene (that is, carriers of a genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's) increased their risk nearly seven-fold if they reported sleep disturbance.
autopsies of people who died without having Alzheimer's had 24% less amyloid plaque in their brains if they died recently (vs up to several decades ago).
Improvements in health in developed countries have reduced, and might continue to reduce, the incidence of Alzheimer's Disease. Consequently, one route to avoiding Alzheimer's might involve better healthcare.
Taking care of these basic building blocks of good health will be much more cost effective than medications in the pipeline. That is because these drugs, if effective for mild Alzheimer's, will have only small effects in reducing plaque, and will be very expensive. Prevention studies that alter risk factors, on the other hand, create reductions of 22 to 44%.
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