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  • Sleeping More on Weekends Could Reduce The Risk of Heart Disease By 20%, Study Finds

    Sleeping More on Weekends Could Reduce The Risk of Heart Disease By 20%, Study Finds

    Catching up on lost sleep on the weekend could reduce the risk of heart disease by up to a fifth, according to research presented at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) annual meeting this week. The work contrasts with previous research that emphasized the importance of maintaining a regular sleep schedule—even on weekends.
    Image Credits: Pixabay

    Catching up on lost sleep on the weekend could reduce the risk of heart disease by up to a fifth, according to research presented at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) annual meeting this week. The work contrasts with previous research that emphasized the importance of maintaining a regular sleep schedule—even on weekends.

    “Adequate compensatory sleep is linked to a lower risk of heart disease,” study co-author Yanjun Song of the National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases in China said in a statement. “The association becomes even more pronounced among individuals who regularly experience inadequate sleep during the week.”

    Nearly 1 in 4 Participants in UK Study Report Chronic Sleep Deprivation

    Researchers analyzed data from 90,903 individuals involved in the UK Biobank project. Of the participants, 21.8% self-reported as sleep deprived, saying they regularly failed to get seven hours of sleep per night.

    Researchers classified participants into four groups, from those who slept more on weekend nights to those who slept less. To measure heart disease risk, scientists followed study participants for an average of 14 years, analyzing hospital records and death records related to coronary artery disease, heart failure, irregular heartbeats, and stroke.

    The results showed that the group that slept more on weekends was 19% less likely to develop heart disease in the following years. Similarly, among the subgroup of patients who reported sleep deprivation, those who compensated with longer rest periods had a 20% lower risk of developing heart disease than those who slept in for shorter periods.

    Researchers Explore Heart Benefits of Catch-Up Sleep, but Most Participants Report Adequate Weeknight Rest

    According to the researchers, the study aimed to address the lack of evidence on whether compensatory sleep could benefit heart health. However, this work also has limitations, such as the fact that more than three-quarters of the included subjects did not report sleeping less than seven hours during the week, reducing the relevance of many of the subjects included in the study.

    Furthermore, the data were based on individuals’ self-reported sleep habits, which may have led to inaccuracies.

    The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends that adults aim for at least seven hours of sleep per night and maintain a regular sleep routine.

    Read the opriginal article on: O Globo

    Read more: Sleepiness Might Result from Excessive Brain Activity

  • Popular Sleeping Pill May Block the Brain’s Essential Cleaning Cycle

    Popular Sleeping Pill May Block the Brain’s Essential Cleaning Cycle

    During sleep, the brain performs a "wash and rinse" routine to clear out harmful proteins associated with neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. However, new research has revealed that a widely used sleep aid might interfere with this critical process.
    Credit: Depositphotos

    During sleep, the brain performs a “wash and rinse” routine to clear out harmful proteins associated with neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. However, new research has revealed that a widely used sleep aid might interfere with this critical process.

    In 2012, neuroscientist Maiken Nedergaard from the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) identified a unique system in the brain responsible for waste removal. Known as the “glymphatic system,” it functions like a network of channels surrounding the brain’s blood vessels, through which cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) circulates, collecting and eliminating waste.

    Since its discovery over a decade ago, researchers have linked the glymphatic system to the development of Parkinson’s disease and shown that it plays a key role in clearing toxic proteins during sleep, potentially preventing Alzheimer’s. A 2021 study even demonstrated that ultrasound could activate the system in Alzheimer’s patients, helping to remove amyloid and tau proteins associated with the disease.

    Now, Nedergaard has conducted another study at URMC to explore how the glymphatic system operates and how zolpidem, the active ingredient in the popular sleep aid Ambien, affects its functioning.

    Understanding the glymphatic system’s function

    “As the brain transitions from wakefulness to sleep, the processing of external information slows down, while processes like the glymphatic system’s waste removal are activated,” Nedergaard explained. “The goal of this research was to better understand the drivers of glymphatic flow during sleep, with broad implications for understanding what makes sleep restorative.”

    Operating in waves

    Studying mice, Nedergaard’s team used optical imaging techniques combined with EEG and EMG monitors to observe the animals during their natural phases of wakefulness and sleep.

    The researchers found that during non-REM sleep, when the brain is relatively calm, the neurotransmitter norepinephrine is released in slow waves. These waves triggered “micro-arousals,” which caused rhythmic contractions of blood vessels independent of the heart’s pumping. These contractions powered the movement of CSF through the glymphatic system, enabling its waste-clearing function.

    These findings, along with what we know about the glymphatic system, provide a complete picture of the brain’s internal dynamics. The slow waves, micro-arousals, and norepinephrine were the missing pieces, said Natalie Hauglund, the study’s first author and currently a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Oxford.

    The impact of Ambien

    The team also investigated how zolpidem, the active ingredient in Ambien, affects the brain’s cleaning system. After administering the drug to mice, they observed that it blocked the slow waves of norepinephrine, disrupting the glymphatic system and preventing waste removal. This could result in the accumulation of toxic proteins, such as tau and amyloid, a hallmark of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s.

    The study establishes a mechanistic link between norepinephrine dynamics, vascular activity, and glymphatic clearance, advancing our understanding of sleep’s restorative functions,Nedergaard said. It also highlights the potential negative effects of certain sleep aids on brain health, emphasizing the importance of preserving natural sleep architecture for optimal brain function.

    Read the original article on: New Atlas

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