The Dangerous Consequences of Restless Sleep Identified by Scientists 0 9

We all know how important a full night's sleep is. From our own experience, we understand that even a small amount of sleep deprivation can ruin the entire next day. However, scientists have prepared more alarming news for us, based not only on personal observations but also on long-term studies.

A new study, the results of which were published in the journal Neurology, involved 526 volunteers around the age of 40. For 11 years, researchers studied both the duration and quality of their sleep using special 'smart watches' that tracked movements.

During the experiment, participants filled out questionnaires indicating their sleep times, bedtime, and wake-up time, as well as rating their sleep quality on a scale from 0 to 21, where higher scores indicated worse quality. A total of 239 individuals (45.6%) reported poor sleep.

Additionally, participants underwent memory and cognitive tests, and researchers measured the frequency of brief awakenings during sleep. They accounted for both the percentage of time spent moving and the time spent without movement for one minute or less during sleep. As a result, it was found that the average sleep fragmentation was 19%, meaning that volunteers 'tossed and turned' for one-fifth of their sleep time.

After adjusting for demographic data, education level, smoking, body mass index, depression, physical activity, hypertension, and diabetes, individuals with the highest levels of sleep fragmentation had more than twice the likelihood of cognitive decline compared to others. Scientists suggest that frequent awakenings (possibly due to work stress or a noisy environment) may lead to the accumulation of amyloids in the brain—harmful proteins that are cleared during sleep. Consequently, poor sleep quality in middle age (30–40 years) can significantly impair cognitive abilities.

Researchers concluded that for maintaining cognitive health, sleep quality is more important than quantity. If stress causes nighttime awakenings or if a person has issues with apnea, these problems need to be addressed. Otherwise, it could negatively impact thinking and memory skills. Those who suffer from poor sleep and frequent awakenings should consider that this may be a signal to increase their protein intake.