One of the major contributors to longer-lasting brain health is getting enough sleep. Despite many trends you may find online where people talk about the benefits of sleeping less and working more, the objective truth is the opposite, at least in the long run.
Sleeping enough with good quality sleep is a vital element of longevity and overall health. Some of the major ways in which getting a good quality of sleep helps with overall health and longevity include memory consolidation, problem-solving, emotion regulation, and even learning efficiency. Below, you can find more details about how sleep could lead to each of those positive outcomes.
Sleep and Cognitive Maintenance:
As you sleep, a group of cells, referred to as "Glial Cells," get to work and start to clean up the toxins in the brain that have accumulated during your waking hours. Among these toxins is beta-amyloid, a protein associated with Alzheimer's disease. Sleeping allows the brain to cleanse itself of this and other harmful substances, which potentially lowers the risk of neurodegenerative diseases and supports overall cognitive health. So, if you don't get enough sleep, your body will not find enough time to cleanse those toxins out of the brain, which in turn could contribute to further accumulation of the toxins in the brain, leading to negative outcomes over the life span.
Sleep and Emotional Regulation/Well-Being:
Having a good quality of sleep has also been shown to be associated with better emotional regulation. Studies have suggested that the rates of negative emotions significantly decrease after a good sleep, helping with better coping mechanisms. On the contrary, lack of sleep can increase the risk of mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety. Long-term sleep deprivation has been associated with higher rates of emotional problems and lower quality of life. Emotional regulation, especially lowered stress rates, could be at least partially responsible for several research findings that suggest adequate sleep is associated with a lower risk of chronic conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. These conditions are closely tied to premature aging and mortality, highlighting the role of sleep in promoting a longer, healthier life.
Although you have now learned about some benefits of sleeping, you may be one of the many people who struggle with reaching the desired quality of sleep. As a part of the perks of subscription to this website, subscribers will receive a comprehensive guide about how to promote better sleep quality, which can be achieved fairly quickly by changing some minor habits. To receive more information about how to get better sleep, you can subscribe to receive updates about the most up-to-date developments in the field of cognitive health and longevity, along with access to all the tools and resources to promote a healthier life.
Related scientific findings:
Clocchiatti‐Tuozzo, S., Rivier, C. A., Renedo, D., Lopez, V. M. T., Geer, J. H., Miner, B., Yaggi, H. K., de Havenon, A., Payabvash, S., Sheth, K. N., Gill, T. M., & Falcone, G. J. (2024). Suboptimal Sleep Duration Is Associated With Poorer Neuroimaging Brain Health Profiles in Middle\&\#x2010;Aged Individuals Without Stroke or Dementia. Journal of the American Heart Association, 13(1), e031514. https://doi.org/10.1161/JAHA.123.031514
Xie, L., Kang, H., Xu, Q., Chen, M. J., Liao, Y., Thiyagarajan, M., ... & Nedergaard, M. (2013). Sleep drives metabolite clearance from the adult brain. Science, 342(6156), 373-377. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1241224
Goldstein, A. N., & Walker, M. P. (2014). The role of sleep in emotional brain function. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 10, 679-708. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-032813-153716
Freeman, D., Sheaves, B., Goodwin, G. M., Yu, L. M., Nickless, A., Harrison, P. J., ... & Espie, C. A. (2017). The effects of improving sleep on mental health (OASIS): a randomised controlled trial with mediation analysis. The Lancet Psychiatry, 4(10), 749-758. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(17)30328-0
Cappuccio, F. P., D'Elia, L., Strazzullo, P., & Miller, M. A. (2010). Sleep duration and all-cause mortality: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies. Sleep, 33(5), 585-592. https://doi.org/10.1093/sleep/33.5.585
Disclaimer
This information is provided for general use only and to raise awareness about brain health and longevity. Before implementing any of the recommendations provided here, please review them with your healthcare provider. Not all recommendations may be suitable for everyone.