Alzheimer's Disease: Why Sleep Deprivation Can Increase Neurological Disorder Risk
If there's anything about this life that everybody would know, it's that sometimes, one must sacrifice sleep in order to get work done. Most people are not strangers to sleep deprivation and getting through the day with a constant supply of coffee or energy drinks. As much as one would love not to leave the comfort that the bed offers, responsibilities can pile up and there would be no choice but to get it all done at the cost of much-needed sleep.
Although it's a known fact that humans cannot survive without sleep, a new study has found that sleep deprivation can actually lead to various neurological problems including Alzheimer's disease and another one that causes that brain to eat itself.
Researchers from the Marche Polytechnic University in Italy found that certain cells can go into overdrive causing it to turn against the brain's synapses during sleep deprivation. The data was collected from mice that were forced to stay awake for five days in order to mimic chronic sleep loss. The cells that were found to go on overdrive are called astrocytes and they are responsible for cleaning out exhausted cells.
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"In the short term, this might be beneficial — clearing potentially harmful debris and rebuilding worn circuitry might protect healthy brain connections. But it may cause harm in the long term, and could explain why a chronic lack of sleep puts people at risk of Alzheimer's disease and other neurological disorders," said researcher Michele Bellesi, as reported by New Scientist.
So far, research has established that lack of sleep is linked to increased risk of developing neurological disorders such as dementia and Alzheimer's. This new study provides much-needed answers on why neurological disorders and sleep deprivation were linked in the first place. If the astrocytes are on overdrive, they lose the ability to discern exhausted cells from the rest of the brain's connections. As a result, even the brain's synapses are compromised.
Given this new information, it might be helpful to remember that no matter how busy one might be, it's always good to remember that it's okay to give the body what it needs, especially when it comes to getting a full night's rest.
