Six in ten Indians are at a higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease due to lack of sleep interfering with the natural cleaning process that takes place during that period. Lack of consistently healthy sleep patterns may lead to an increase in the risk of Alzheimer’s, according to a news report by Scientific American which covered the work of neuroscientist Laura Lewis.
Lewis proved that human brains go through a process of cleansing of built up waste generated by it during the day, which consists of excess proteins. Amyloid Beta and Tau, proteins that primarily cause Alzheimer’s are also among them.
Through human test subjects Lewis was able to prove that cerebrospinal fluid circulates through the human brain during uninterrupted rapid eye movement sleep, leading to a cleansing of the brain.
The body is designed in such a way that blood is not allowed to come into contact with the brain tissue to protect it from infections, hence CSF fluid takes its place, literally “washing” the brain as we sleep.
According to a report from Local Circles, cited by the New Indian Express, upto 59% of Indians sleep less than six hours a day and that only half of them were able to remedy that during the weekends. Upto 72% cited, poor schedules, external sounds, mousquitoes and having to get up to use the restroom as their reasons for this sleep loss.