It’s amazing how a good night’s sleep can rejuvenate the mind, or “rest the little grey cells” as Hercule Poirot, Agatha Christie’s famed sleuth, liked to say.

But sound slumber may boost the brain another way by protecting you against Alzheimer’s disease. Research has begun to show an association between poor sleep and a higher risk of accumulating beta-amyloid protein plaque in the brain, one of the hallmarks of the disease.

“Observational studies have found that adults over age 65 with amyloid plaques in their brain have reduced slow-wave sleep, which is thought to play an important role in memory function, even though these people do not yet show signs of Alzheimer’s, like memory loss and cognitive decline,” says Dr. Brad Dickerson, associate professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School. “It may be that quality sleep could play a role in who may get Alzheimer’s.”

To read more go to https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/waking-up-to-alzheimers-can-getting-quality-sleep-help-prevent-the-disease-2017090812293