Disrupted sleep damages blood vessels in brain and may increase dementia risk

Medical Xpress / University of Toronto / Brain ^ | July 30, 2025 | Nadia Norcia / Mahnoor Hamid et al

[ConservativeMind]

A new study reveals that fragmented sleep causes cellular damage to the brain's blood vessels, providing further evidence to suggest that sleep disruption predisposes the brain to dementia.

The research is the first to offer cellular and molecular evidence that sleep disruption directly causes damage to brain blood vessels and blood flow.

"We found that individuals who had more fragmented sleep, such as sleeping restlessly and waking up a lot at night, had a change in their balance of pericytes—a brain blood vessel cell that plays an important role in regulating brain blood flow and the entry and exit of substances between the blood and the brain," said Andrew Lim.

"This in turn was associated with a more rapid decline in cognitive function in the decade leading up to their death."

The researchers applied wearable smartwatch-like sensors to the research subjects—more than 600 older adults—to measure their sleep and used new gene sequencing technologies to measure levels of pericytes in the brain. The research participants subsequently passed away and donated their brains for analysis.

"We know that in some individuals, sleep disruption can precede the onset of cognitive impairment by years, with emerging evidence suggesting a bidirectional link between sleep disruption and Alzheimer's disease," adds Lim.

The study's findings suggest:

—Sleep fragmentation may be an important factor leading to brain blood vessel injury

—Pericytes may be particularly important in mediating these effects

—Targeting sleep fragmentation may be a means of improving brain vascular health

—Targeting pericytes may be a mechanism of preventing the deleterious effects of sleep fragmentation on brain blood flow and subsequently on Alzheimer's disease and other dementias

"This study raises the possibility that changes in pericytes may be a mechanism linking sleep fragmentation with small vessel disease and cognitive decline," says Lim.

[midwest_hiker]

So, I have been On Call for the past 35 years. Always getting paged and woke up on the middle of the night.
Where’s my lawsuit pay day.

[iontheball]

try 5 grams of creatine and melatonin before bed.
______________________
I take a one low dose melatonin one hour before bedtime and sleep right through the night. Problem is the residual grogginess in the morning until I have my first cup of coffee.

[KittyKares]

I find getting up to use the restroom in the middle of the night is a problem one can’t do much about.

[maddog55]

Well I’m F’d.....

[JeemBeau]

I’ve seen that excessive fatty tissues at the rear of the mouth and nose can be trimmed using lasers.

Look for the program “f.lux” for to adjust your computer’s screen colors to submarine red style. There should be more current programs available.

Look for GE’s LED Align PM Sleep Cycle bulbs.

[ckilmer]

yeah, without the creatine I also have the grogginess. But with the creatine—no grogginess.