Can Lack of Sleep Shrink Your Brain?
Researchers looked at 147 adults between the ages of 20 and 84. With two MRI scans, they examined the link between sleep problems like insomnia and the study participants’ brain volume. Investigators found that those with sleep problems had a more rapid decline in brain volume or size over the course of the study than those who slept well.So it stands to reason that, if a lack of sleep can lead to memory loss, the size of the brain would also be affected.
“We know that a lack of sleep can lead to all kinds of problems,”
Dr. Neal Maru,
Nneurologist and sleep specialist with Integrated Sleep Services in Alexandria, Virginia.
This short video below gives a few pointer on How To Sleep Better (video credit: WellCast.com)
“The problem is, we really don’t know what comes first,” Maru agreed. “Is it a sleep problem that causes the atrophy (wasting away of a body part), or is it the atrophy that causes the sleep problems? That’s a question we need to sort out.”
