Poor sleep may age the brain by nearly three years, scientists say

Scientists have issued a stark warning that poor sleep – which includes having trouble falling or staying asleep – could age the brain by nearly three years.

Scans of almost 600 middle-aged individuals revealed that sleeping poorly was linked to worse brain health in later years, even after adjusting for factors such as age, gender, high blood pressure, and diabetes.

Kristine Yaffe, from the University of California San Francisco and a member of the American Academy of Neurology, emphasised: "Our findings highlight the importance of addressing sleep problems earlier in life to preserve brain health, including maintaining a consistent sleep schedule, exercising, avoiding caffeine and alcohol before going to bed and using relaxation techniques."

She added, "Future research should focus on finding new ways to improve sleep quality and investigating the long-term impact of sleep on brain health in younger people."

The study, featured in the journal Neurology – the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, involved participants with an average age of 40 at the outset who completed sleep questionnaires initially and then again five years later.

These questionnaires concentrated on six key sleep aspects: short sleep duration, poor sleep quality, trouble falling asleep, difficulty staying asleep, early morning awakenings, and daytime sleepiness.

The study divided participants into three groups based on sleep quality, with those in the low group having no more than one poor sleep characteristic, whilst individuals in the middle group displayed two to three, and participants in the high group had more than three.

Brain scans conducted 15 years into the research revealed variations in brain aging: the middle group's average brain age was found to be 1.6 years older compared to the low group, whereas the high group's brains were on average 2.6 years older.

Dr Clemence Cavailles from the University of California San Francisco weighed in, saying: "Sleep problems have been linked in previous research to poor thinking and memory skills later in life, putting people at higher risk for dementia."

She adds, "Our study which used brain scans to determine participants’ brain age, suggests that poor sleep is linked to nearly three years of additional brain aging as early as middle age."

In related findings, new research presented in the journal Neurology implies that favourable sleep quality, regular physical activity, a nutritious diet, and abstaining from smoking could mitigate the risks of stroke, dementia, and depression as people grow older. Furthermore, US researchers highlight that maintaining Life’s Essential 8 - measures including body weight, cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar within healthy parameters - can aid overall brain wellness, previously proven to encourage heart health and decelerate aging.

The study's conclusions were drawn from an extensive dataset of over 316,000 adults from the UK Biobank, a resource containing medical and lifestyle details for more than half a million British citizens. Dr Santiago Clocchiatti-Tuozzo from Yale University in the US, also affiliated with the American Academy of Neurology, emphasised the importance of the findings: "Brain health is paramount for the optimal well-being of every person, enabling us to function at our highest level and constantly adapt in the world."

He added, "Our study found that making these healthy lifestyle choices in middle age can have meaningful impacts on brain health later in life."

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