Good night's sleep may help to prevent Alzheimer's

Scientists said Tuesday they have found older people who get poor sleep may have more of the plaque or beta amyloid that is suggestive of Alzheimer's disease in their brains. The findings, published online on Oct. 21 in the journal JAMA Neurology, revealed that during sleep there are changes in the brains of lab mice that help flush out toxins such as beta amyloid produced by brain’s neurons in active circuits. It might be possible that improving sleep could help prevent Alzheimer's disease, suggested Adam Spira, an assistant professor in the department of mental health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. "We live in a sleep-deprived society," Spira said. "It may be that changing sleep habits has significant implications for mental health and specifically the prevention of Alzheimer's disease."