Health Matters: Poor Sleep May Age the Brain

Sleeping too much is just as unhealthy as sleeping too little.

Poor sleep patterns may do more than make you cranky.

Four new studies suggest the amount and quality of shuteye you get could be linked to mental deterioration and Alzheimer’s Disease.

The first study suggested too little or too much sleep was equated to aging the brain by two years.

A second study concluded people with sleep apnea were more than twice as likely to develop mild thinking problems compared to problem-free sleepers.

A third suggested those who slept less than five hours, or more than nine hours, had lower mental functioning than those who slept seven hours a day.

And the fourth found excessive daytime sleepiness increased the risk of mental decline, while difficulty staying asleep did not.

All these studies are scheduled for presentation at the Alzheimer’s Association Meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Reporting on Health Matters, I’m Jessica Solis.