(WTNH)– A study suggests a link between not getting enough sleep and the memory robbing disease, Alzheimer’s.
The health benefits are well known, sleep is good for the body and mind. But sacrificing those z’s could be detrimental, according to a preliminary study.
The findings published in the Journal Science Translational Medicine suggest the loss of one night’s sleep in healthy young men, increased levels of tau protein in their blood, compared to getting uninterrupted sleep.
Related: Alzheimer’s: Anyone can get it. The numbers are growing and the cost of care is skyrocketing
Studies have shown higher levels of tau protein in the blood are associated with an increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
In this study, researchers found that men who were not allowed to sleep had an average 17-percent increase of tau in their blood .
Researchers caution that the study is small and inconclusive and acknowledged they were not able to determine what the increased levels might mean.
However, the study shows the need for further investigation.
While research is not yet conclusive, certain lifestyle choices, such as physical activity and diet, may also help support brain health and prevent Alzheimer’s.
Now to another study…
Up to 4,000 people in the U.S. are waiting for a heart transplant.
When it comes to matters of the heart, Yale New Haven Hospital is on the leading edge of a comprehensive approach that more hospitals are now following.
Related: Organ donors are needed. Should you be an organ donor?
Critical matches are aimed at getting people off the transplant waiting list.
“People don’t come to us to wait for a heart. They come to us to get a heart,” said Dr. Dan Jacoby, YNHH Director, Comprehensive Heart Failure Program.
What novel steps are doctors taking, to save more lives? Click here for a special report on organ donation.
