Older adults who struggle with memory loss, cognitive decline, and Alzheimer’s disease can find hope in the power of sleep. Recent research suggests that deep, non-REM sleep may provide protection against Alzheimer’s disease, an all too common form of dementia.
Those results could prove to be a beacon of hope for sufferers and their families as they look for ways to stave off symptoms and live fuller lives.
Deep sleep, known as non-REM slow wave sleep, has been found to increase resilience against a protein in the brain called beta-amyloid that has been linked to dementia and other brain disease. While disrupted sleep has previously been associated with the accumulation of beta-amyloid protein in the brain, a new study from the University of California–Berkeley suggests that significant amounts of deep, slow-wave sleep can help protect against memory decline in those with high amounts of this Alzheimer’s disease pathology….