Alzheimer’s disease is one of the greatest failures of mainstream medicine. An estimated 5.7 million Americans suffer from it. And by 2050 that number is expected to more than double.[1]
But conventional doctors don’t have a clue about how to treat the disease…or even what causes it.
Now, researchers have discovered that poor sleep may be a major contributor to Alzheimer’s.
Dr. David Holtzman and his colleagues at the Washington University School of Medicine measured the level of tau in people with normal and disrupted sleep.[2]
Tau is a protein linked to Alzheimer’s. It is released by neurons in your brain while you’re awake. Tau gets cleared away while you sleep.
If you don’t get enough sleep, or you wake up too much during the night, tau may accumulate faster than it can be swept away. It can then form toxic clumps that spread through your brain. This contributes to dementia.
Poor Sleep Linked to Alzheimer’s
The scientists found tau in people with disrupted sleep increased by more than 50%. This suggests that lack of sleep can trigger Alzheimer’s, they said.
Conversely, consistently getting a good night’s sleep could prevent it.
Dr. Holtzman said a link had already been established between poor sleep and beta-amyloid. This is another protein associated with Alzheimer’s. But “this study shows that sleep disruption causes the damaging protein tau to increase rapidly and spread over time,” he said.
Quality sleep is crucial for brain health, Dr. Holtzman added. “Our brains need time to recover from the stresses of the day,” he said. “This and other data suggest that (quality sleep) may even help delay and slow down the (Alzheimer’s) disease process if it has begun.”[3]
Sleep Is Nature’s Solution to Alzheimer’s
Getting a good night’s sleep is easier said than done for some of us. But if you suffer from insomnia, don’t resort to sleeping pills. There are safer, natural ways to get a good night’s rest…
Be sure to practice good “sleep hygiene.” These are strategies that help you fall asleep and stay asleep.[4]
They include:
- Avoiding caffeine and screen time near bedtime.
- Having consistent bed and wake times every day.
- Keeping your bedroom dark, quiet, and cool at night.
- Exercising regularly, but not right before bedtime.
Increasing the oxygen level in your bedroom can also help.
A study at Eindhoven University in Holland discovered that decreasing carbon dioxide and raising oxygen levels allows people to enjoy “better sleep depth, sleep efficiency, and lesser number of awakenings.”[5]
There is nothing tricky about raising oxygen levels in your bedroom. You simply need to open a door and/or a window. The scientists said that running air conditioning will also do it.
Good sleep is crucial to your health in many ways. It helps you stay fit in body…and mind.
Editor’s Note: Discover the natural fix for insomnia that one top doctor calls “magic.” Get all the details in our monthly journal Independent Healing HERE.
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[1] https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/facts-figures
[2] http://science.sciencemag.org/content/early/2019/01/23/science.aav2546
[3] https://www.clinicalomics.com/articles/alzheimer-s-tau-spread-heightened-by-sleeplessness/2124
[4] https://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep-hygiene
[5] http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ina.12435/full