Sleep is essential for us, but also for our brain. A team of scientists from the universities of Oslo (Norway) and Oxford (United Kingdom) has resolved in their latest work that, apart from the fact that lack of sleep accelerates the aging of the brain, it also alters its size, reducing brain volume .
The findings of the study, which have been published in the journal Neurology, detail an experiment with 147 adults between 20 and 84 years of age who were closely examined in order to compare their difficulties with sleep with the volume of the brain. Thus, the participants underwent MRI tests every 3.5 years and completed a questionnaire on sleep habits.
The results revealed that sleep difficulties were related to a much faster-than-normal decrease in overall brain volume, being much more severe in people over 60 years of age .
“It is not yet known whether poor quality sleep is a cause or a consequence of changes in the structure of the brain. There are effective treatments for sleep disorders, so future research should see if improving sleep quality can reduce the rate of brain volume loss . If so, improving sleep habits can be an important means of improving brain health, ”says Claire E. Sexton, leader of the study.
