Recently a study from the University of Montreal and Hôpital Rivière-des-Prairies, published in International Journal of Psychophysiology, showed that sleep quality influences cognitive performance of autistic kids. Perhaps there is a connection between these findings and recent results that showed disrupted sleep may be one of the missing pieces of the Alzheimer's Disease risk factor puzzle. 

The hallmark of Alzheimer's Disease stems from a protein called beta-amyloid and starts its damage long before people have trouble with memory. Researchers reported at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference. Sleep disruption is often an under appreciated factor because the average person is quite acclimated to not having regular sleep habits. 

But this risk factor may be one of the most prominent for Alzheimer's Disease. The good news is this may be one of the modifiable risk factors for this disease that is preventable. All sleep disorders are treatable but the key next question remains: will improving sleep habits make a difference in protecting older people's brains. 

Getting enough sleep is important for overall health and 7-8 hours still remain the recommended number per night. 

The new research suggests that sleep problems actually interact with some of the disease processes involved in Alzheimer’s, and that those toxic proteins in turn affect the deep sleep that’s so important for memory formation.

Researchers examined PET scans to 26 cognitively healthy volunteers in their 70s to measure the build-up of the protein, beta-amyloid. Even further, two sleep studies analyzed 6,000 people over the course of 5 years that had sleep quality developed mild cognitive impairment, early memory problems that can lead to Alzheimer's Disease. 

KEY TO SLEEPING WELL

According to the National Sleep Foundation, the average adult needs about 7 to 9 hours of sleep at night in order to function and feel good throughout the day.

LACK OF SLEEP CAN CAUSE

• Increased risk of heart disease
• Increase stroke risk
• Weight gain
• Increased cancer risk
• Increase diabetes risk
• Loss of concentration and memory
• Premature aging

SLEEP TIPS

• Stick to a sleep schedule. 
• Control what you eat and drink before bed. 
• Have a relaxing bedtime routine. 
• Keep your room dark.
• Check your room temperature. 
• Exercise. 
• Keep your stress level low. 
• Think twice about napping — 20 minutes or less otherwise your brain falls into a deep sleep which may hinder sleeping through the night later on