This Is Why Losing Just One Night of Sleep Is Seriously Bad for You
Nothing good happens after 2am anyway.
This Is Why Losing Just One Night of Sleep Is Seriously Bad for You
Nothing good happens after 2am anyway.
If you’re a night owl who likes to party until dawn, you probably justify staying out at all hours by saying you’ll catch up with sleep the following day or the rest of the week.
But, according to a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, losing just one night of sleep leads to an immediate increase of buildup of a plaque in the brain called beta-amyloid, which is considered the prime suspect in the onset of Alzheimer’s.
To conduct the study, researchers at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) used a PET scan to analyze the brains of 20 healthy people between the ages of 22 and 72 after a good night of sleep, and compared them with the brain scans of those who had been awake for about 31 hours. What they found was that those who had lost a night of sleep had a 5 percent increase of beta-amyloid in their brains, particularly in the thalamus and hippocampus, the areas that are most vulnerable to Alzheimer’s disease.
Granted, the sample size of the study was very small, and the researchers did not analyze whether or not it was possible to reverse the buildup by getting extra rest the following day.
However, Drs. Ehsan Shokri-Kojori of the NIAAA Laboratory of Neuroimaging, who led the study, said that “even though our sample was small, this study demonstrated the negative effect of sleep deprivation on beta-amyloid burden in the human brain.”
The results are also in keeping with other recent research, such as this study that found that “excessive daytime sleepiness” in cognitively healthy people over 70 can cause dementia due to a buildup of beta-amyloid.
The study is therefore part of a growing body of research that indicates good, consistent sleeping patterns are crucial to your health. In addition to causing dementia, not getting enough sleep can cause weight gain, memory loss, mood imbalance, high blood pressure, a weakened immune system, and low libido, not to mention increasing your risk of heart disease and diabetes.
For advice on how to get a better night of sleep without resorting to medication, be sure to bone up on the 70 Tips For Your Best Sleep Ever.
To discover more amazing secrets about living your best life, click here to sign up for our FREE daily newsletter!
-
Health
Here’s Why Traditional Clocks Are Disappearing from Classrooms
At least in the UK, where kids apparently can't tell time.
-
Culture
20 Social Etiquette Mistakes You Should Stop Making by Age 30
Don't let these social faux pas leave you off the invite list.
-
Stress Relief
20 Genius Tricks to Instantly Cheer Yourself Up
Bust out of any funk in a heartbeat.
-
Finance
Here’s Why You Should Always Ignore Threatening Phone Calls from “the IRS”
It's one of the oldest scams in the book!
-
Fitness
50 Amazing Over-40 Bodies
Some things do get better with age.
-
Culture
50 Facts About Life Everyone Should Know
Want to sleep better? Try number nine.
-
Score Your Own Private Doctor
Okay, so you didn't marry a doctor. But concierge medicine might be the next-best thing. -
5 Italian Healthy Living Secrets That Will Change Your Life
Don't forget your daily passeggiata. -
6 Ways to Boost Testosterone – Guaranteed
-
10 Fun New Year’s Resolutions You’ll Want to Keep
-
10 Things You Need to Know about “Low-T” Therapy
The truth about the treatment behind the ubiquitous ads. -
30 Life Skills Every Man Should Know
A few dozen habits of highly effective humans. -
Your Ultimate Lower Back Pain-Fighting Game Plan
Follow this 11-week calendar to extinguish your lower back pain forever. -
The Single Greatest Way to Stifle Stress at Work
In one simple exercise.
-
Health
Here’s Why Traditional Clocks Are Disappearing from Classrooms
At least in the UK, where kids apparently can't tell time.
-
Culture
20 Social Etiquette Mistakes You Should Stop Making by Age 30
Don't let these social faux pas leave you off the invite list.
-
Stress Relief
20 Genius Tricks to Instantly Cheer Yourself Up
Bust out of any funk in a heartbeat.
-
Finance
Here’s Why You Should Always Ignore Threatening Phone Calls from “the IRS”
It's one of the oldest scams in the book!
-
Fitness
50 Amazing Over-40 Bodies
Some things do get better with age.
-
Culture
50 Facts About Life Everyone Should Know
Want to sleep better? Try number nine.
-
Culture
20 United States Civic Studies Lessons You Forgot
The powers of the federal government have significantly expanded over the years.
-
Culture
The Hilarious Reason These Photos of a Male Model Are Going Viral
He totally saw these surreptitious snaps.
-
Score Your Own Private Doctor
Okay, so you didn't marry a doctor. But concierge medicine might be the next-best thing. -
5 Italian Healthy Living Secrets That Will Change Your Life
Don't forget your daily passeggiata. -
6 Ways to Boost Testosterone – Guaranteed
-
10 Fun New Year’s Resolutions You’ll Want to Keep
-
10 Things You Need to Know about “Low-T” Therapy
The truth about the treatment behind the ubiquitous ads. -
30 Life Skills Every Man Should Know
A few dozen habits of highly effective humans. -
Your Ultimate Lower Back Pain-Fighting Game Plan
Follow this 11-week calendar to extinguish your lower back pain forever. -
The Single Greatest Way to Stifle Stress at Work
In one simple exercise.