Deep sleep, memory formation go hand-in-hand. Scientists are also finding links to dementia – CBC

Study found decrease in deep sleep associated with higher risk of dementia in people aged 60 and up

Nov 18, 2023

Shift workers sleeping at erratic hours. Students pulling all-nighters. Menopausal women tossing and turning in bed from hot flashes.

There are a host of reasons why people have periods of poor sleep. And anyone who’s endured back-to-back nights of sub-par slumber likely knows the result: Feelings of brain fog, grogginess or even memory issues.

In the short-term, those cognitive hiccups are usually manageable. Take new parents for instance, says a sleep scientist affiliated with the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

“It can be a couple of years of pretty serious sleep loss, and they still push through,” said John Peever. “But whether or not they could sustain that over many years, I think the answer to that question would be no.”

A growing body of research points to clear links between deep sleep and memory formation and, on the flip side, the possibility of dire consequences when someone’s sleep quality erodes over time.

Deep sleep, memory formation go hand-in-hand. Scientists are also finding links to dementia – CBC

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