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News: Deep Sleep Protects Against... (NPR News) - Behind the headlines

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Media coverage of health and science topics

NPR News Nov. 17, 2020

Deep Sleep Protects Against Alzheimer's, Growing Evidence Shows

by Jon Hamilton

People who get more deep sleep appear less likely to develop Alzheimer's. That may be because this phase of sleep allows the brain to clear out waste products.

Read more at NPR News

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Research findings and data from the National Library of Medicine

PubMed articles

Sci Transl Med JAN. 9, 2019

Reduced non-rapid eye movement sleep is associated with tau pathology in early Alzheimer's disease

BP Lucey et al

In Alzheimer's disease (AD), deposition of insoluble amyloid-β (Aβ) is followed by intracellular aggregation of tau in the neocortex and subsequent neuronal cell loss, sy …

Front Hum Neurosci MARCH 8, 2017

Acoustic Enhancement of Sleep Slow Oscillations and Concomitant Memory Improvement in Older Adults

NA Papalambros et al

Acoustic stimulation methods applied during sleep in young adults can increase slow wave activity (SWA) and improve sleep-dependent memory retention. It is unknown whethe …

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The Scientist SEPT. 11, 2020

Poor Sleep Linked with Future Amyloid-β Build Up

Accumulation of the protein was more likely to be found in the brains of people who slept less well years earlier, according to a new study.

NPR News OCT. 31, 2019

How Deep Sleep May Help The Brain Clear Alzheimer's Toxins

A study of 11 sleeping brains sheds some light on the mysterious link between sleep problems and Alzheimer's disease. The flow of cerebrospinal fluid through the brain appears to be the key.

The New York Times JUNE 24, 2022

The Sleep Debt Collector Is Here

Recent studies in humans and mice have shown that late nights and early mornings may cause long lasting damage to your brain.

CNN News MAY 10, 2023

Sleep apnea, lack of deep sleep linked to damage in brain, study says | CNN

People who have sleep apnea and spend less time in deep sleep may have more damage in the white matter of the brain, possibly hastening mental decline, a new study found.

The Guardian JULY 10, 2017

Poor quality sleep could increase Alzheimer's risk, research suggests

Findings raise possibility repeated disruption of slow wave sleep could lead to a buildup of proteins linked to disease