A full night of deep sleep is not a luxury – it might be a shield. New research suggests that the right kind of sleep can help ward off memory trouble in people whose brains already show signs of Alzheimer’s disease.
Scientists studied older adults with no diagnosed dementia and found something striking. When these adults spent more time in the deepest stage of sleep, their memory held up better even if amyloid deposits were present.
Understanding amyloid plaque
Linked with Alzheimer’s disease, amyloid plaques are clumps of protein fragments, called amyloid-beta, that build up between nerve cells in the brain.
Normally, your body produces and clears these protein fragments without a problem. But in Alzheimer’s, the cleanup process doesn’t keep up.
The fragments start sticking together, first in small clusters that may be toxic, and eventually in larger, sticky deposits known as plaques.
These plaques interfere with how neurons communicate, almost like static on a phone line, and they can also trigger the brain’s immune cells to overreact, causing damaging inflammation.
Scientists study amyloid because it seems to play a central role in the chain of events that leads to memory loss and cognitive decline.
But here’s the tricky part: we still don’t know if amyloid plaques are the main cause of the disease or more like a byproduct of deeper problems
Sleep, brain waves, and Alzheimer’s
The study tracked 62 cognitively healthy older adults and measured sleep and memory on the same timeline.
Researchers used positron emission tomography (PET) to measure amyloid in the brain and monitored sleep with electroencephalography to capture brain waves overnight.
Deep sleep here means NREM slow-wave sleep, a stage marked by large, slow oscillations that help the brain reset. The team then gave participants a face-name memory task the next day and compared performance.
This work comes from Matthew Walker and colleagues at the University of California, Berkeley. The project also examined whether sleep helped beyond other known cognitive reserve factors like education and physical activity.
Deep sleep resets the brain
Deep sleep helps the brain tune synapses and prepare for new learning the next day. It also supports the transfer of fragile short-term memories into more stable long-term storage.
There is another piece that matters for Alzheimer’s biology.
During sleep, the brain’s glymphatic system ramps up clearance of waste proteins, including amyloid and tau, by moving cerebrospinal fluid through tiny channels that flush neural tissue.
Findings from older adult brains
Among people with similarly high amyloid levels, more deep sleep lined up with stronger next-day memory.
That link was specific to the deep, slow-wave part of non-rapid-eye-movement (NREM) sleep, not lighter sleep or REM.
“Think of deep sleep almost like a life raft that keeps memory afloat, rather than memory being dragged down by the weight of Alzheimer’s disease pathology,” said Walker.
The benefit appeared where it was needed most – in those carrying a higher amyloid burden. It also remained even after accounting for age, sex, body mass index, gray matter atrophy, education, and physical activity.
Poor sleep, higher Alzheimer’s risk
Short sleep in older adults is linked to more amyloid and lower cognitive scores.
A large analysis of more than 4,000 adults found a higher amyloid burden among those reporting six hours or fewer per night, along with worse memory.
Researchers see a two-way pattern. Poor sleep can go hand in hand with rising amyloid, and rising amyloid can disrupt sleep quality.
These feedback loops make sleep a practical target. It is a daily behavior with clear, measurable features and plenty of room for improvement.
Pills don’t replace deep sleep
Not all sleep is equal, and some sedatives change the structure of sleep in unhelpful ways.
A 2023 review reported that benzodiazepines tend to reduce the time spent in the deepest NREM stages while expanding lighter stage 2 sleep.
There is also interest in a newer class of sleep medicines that act on the orexin system.
In a small randomized trial, the insomnia drug suvorexant reduced cerebrospinal fluid levels of amyloid beta and phosphorylated tau over several hours in healthy middle-aged adults.
These findings do not mean a pill will protect memory or that anyone should change treatment without medical guidance. However, they do suggest that the type and depth of sleep matter at least as much as the number of hours.
Better sleep, lower Alzheimer’s risk
Simple habits can tilt sleep toward deeper stages. Avoiding caffeine – especially later in the day – helps the brain reach consolidated slow-wave sleep.
Regular movement, a cool and dark bedroom, fewer screens at night, and even a warm shower an hour before bed can all make it easier to fall asleep.
Scientists still need long-term studies to determine whether training deep sleep over months or years can slow cognitive decline in people with rising amyloid.
Teams are also exploring safe ways to amplify slow waves during sleep, using sound cues or gentle electrical stimulation.
The ultimate goal is simple: help the brain keep learning day after day, even in the face of early disease markers.
The study is published in BMC Medicine.
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October is shaping up to be a similarly spicy experience to September, with Act 3’s Sea Fort refresh offering an overhauled take on a well-loved experience. There’ll also be a timely sprinkle of autumnal spookiness on the horizon – but more on that in the next edition of our This Month article. Farewell for now, and we’ll see you on the seas!
