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Bad sleep harms old-age memory by disrupting the brain's 'waste removal system,' study shows
Medical Xpress / The University of Hong Kong / Molecular Psychiatry ^ | March 10, 2025 | Junji Ma et al

Posted on 03/18/2025 3:56:00 PM PDT by ConservativeMind

Poor sleep among older adults is linked to disruptions in the brain's "waste removal system," according to researchers. A recent study offers valuable insight into how sleep quality impacts brain functioning.

Many studies have linked poor sleep with a decline in brain functioning. Professor Lee's team focused on the glial-lymphatic (glymphatic) system, a fluid transport pathway that plays a vital role in clearing waste from the brain. The system's efficiency is a critical determinant of brain health, particularly in aging populations.

Professor Lee and her team sought to understand the glymphatic-brain relationship in poor sleepers, which underlies memory decline. Dysfunction of the glymphatic system leads to the accumulation of toxic proteins, and this process has recently been implicated in several neurological disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and epilepsy.

"Sleep quality, brain activities, and glymphatic functioning are related. Understanding how sleep quality influences the glymphatic system and human brain networks offers valuable insight into the neurophysiological mechanisms underpinning age-related memory change," Professor Lee said.

The research team studied 72 older adults using functional MRI scans and sleep recordings. The findings indicate that poor sleep quality adversely affects normal brain function by deactivating the restorative glymphatic system.

"The results clearly reveal the effect of sleep on the human brain's network through the glymphatic system, which in turn affects memory performance in older adults," said Professor Lee. "Therefore, maintaining efficient glymphatic functioning seems crucial for promoting healthy aging."

The results of the study add important evidence that sleep quality affects cognitive health through the underlying neural relationships. "Impaired memory is a common complaint among older adults with poor sleep quality," Professor Lee noted. "Our results provide a novel perspective on the interplay between sleep, the glymphatic system and multimodal brain networks."

(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...


TOPICS: Health/Medicine
KEYWORDS: 001bsstudy; aging; elderly; glymphatic; sleep
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Poor sleep stops your brain’s systems from clearing cellular waste.
1 posted on 03/18/2025 3:56:00 PM PDT by ConservativeMind
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To: Mazey; ckilmer; goodnesswins; Jane Long; jy8z; ProtectOurFreedom; matthew fuller; telescope115; ...

The “Take Charge Of Your Health” Ping List

This high volume ping list is for health articles and studies which describe something you or your doctor, when informed, may be able to immediately implement for your benefit.

Email me to get on either the “Common/Top Issues” (20 - 25% fewer pings) or “Everything” list.

2 posted on 03/18/2025 3:56:33 PM PDT by ConservativeMind (Trump: Befuddling Democrats, Republicans, and the Media for the benefit of the US and all mankind.)
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To: ConservativeMind

Guess I’m screwed


3 posted on 03/18/2025 3:59:05 PM PDT by JZelle
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To: ConservativeMind

Any memory of the stupid stuff liberals said the previous day is “waste”.


4 posted on 03/18/2025 4:00:05 PM PDT by rfp1234 (E Porcibus Unum)
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To: ConservativeMind

And coffee and butter is bad for you, no wait, never mind....


5 posted on 03/18/2025 4:03:18 PM PDT by Fungi
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To: ConservativeMind

Maybe this is what’s wrong with my brain. seems like it’s getting more frequent as i get older that people tell me I’m full of crap after I post my opinions. maybe it’s true.


6 posted on 03/18/2025 4:05:31 PM PDT by Jim Robinson (Resistance to tyranny is obedience to God.)
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To: Jim Robinson

The great thing about being 80....is...you can con your way out of any situation...and laugh about it....


7 posted on 03/18/2025 4:13:49 PM PDT by Sacajaweau
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To: Jim Robinson

Jim, that happens to me, so we are either both not getting enough good sleep, or everyone who says those things to us is wrong.

It is also possible we need more sleep AND those people are wrong.

I already know you aren’t wrong, so it must be those people.

😁


8 posted on 03/18/2025 4:24:53 PM PDT by ConservativeMind (Trump: Befuddling Democrats, Republicans, and the Media for the benefit of the US and all mankind.)
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To: ConservativeMind

People I know who indulge in long nights and daytime naps are the ones who have flaked out the earliest.

People I know who refuse to nap have had sharp brains to the end — in their 90s.

But I’m not scientist.


9 posted on 03/18/2025 4:28:40 PM PDT by MayflowerMadam (It's hard not to celebrate the fall of bad people. - Bongino)
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To: Jim Robinson

“as i get older that people tell me I’m full of crap”

Do they call you “sh!t-for-brains”? ;-)


10 posted on 03/18/2025 4:30:28 PM PDT by MayflowerMadam (It's hard not to celebrate the fall of bad people. - Bongino)
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To: ConservativeMind

What do they mean by ‘poor sleep’ - do they mean uninterrupted, or do they mean being able to go through the whole sleep cycle?


11 posted on 03/18/2025 4:49:13 PM PDT by PAR35
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To: JZelle
Guess I’m screwed

Same here. 70’s and plagued with poor sleep. Tried all the usual suggestions and supplements. Few work at all and those that do to some noticeable degree lose effectiveness quickly.

12 posted on 03/18/2025 4:50:33 PM PDT by sjmjax
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To: ConservativeMind

As one gets older, the call of the can comes more often night after night. Sleep is lost.


13 posted on 03/18/2025 5:06:02 PM PDT by George from New England (escaped CT back in 2006)
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To: George from New England

That and restless legs for me.


14 posted on 03/18/2025 5:15:51 PM PDT by daler
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To: ConservativeMind

I do not have a problem going to sleep,
but I wake up about every 3 hours to go pee,
and then I go right back to sleep.


15 posted on 03/18/2025 5:17:26 PM PDT by Repeal The 17th (Get out of the matrix and get a real life.)
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To: ConservativeMind

Sort of an analog to a C++ garbage collector when class instances go out of scope..


16 posted on 03/18/2025 5:28:25 PM PDT by RitchieAprile (available monkeys looking for the change..)
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To: RitchieAprile

You’re thinking of Java. AFAIK C++ doesn’t do garbage collection.


17 posted on 03/18/2025 5:29:34 PM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: ConservativeMind

i can believe that- They used ot say that benadryl was the cause of Alzheimer’s, but docs now think it’s not the Alzheimer’s but rather the fact that folks aren’t sleeping well- they turn to benadryl because their docs won’t prescribe sleep meds- but they still don’t sleep well- and when i say they don’t sleep well- they get barely 3-4 hours sleep a night- some nights less- some nights a little more- soem relatives get very little sleep- i don’t know how they even function- but they just keep going- I’m starting to have trouble myself- not fun!


18 posted on 03/18/2025 5:33:26 PM PDT by Bob434 (Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana)
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To: MayflowerMadam

that could be true- i have had to nap due to physical issue- likely Chronic fatigue- and my brain gets so exhausted- brain fog- it’s like trying to think through complex issues while having the flu where your brain just doesn’t want to work well- only all the time!


19 posted on 03/18/2025 5:36:35 PM PDT by Bob434 (Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana)
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To: sjmjax

[[Tried all the usual suggestions and supplements. ]]

Yep- Same- Tried passionflower, melatonin, valerian, benadryl, and some others can’t think of right now- nothing but the benadryl worked and even that doesn’t work well-


20 posted on 03/18/2025 5:38:25 PM PDT by Bob434 (Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana)
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