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#650: Dr. Matthew Walker, All Things Sleep — How to Improve Sleep, How Sleep Ties Into Alzheimer’s Disease and Weight Gain, and How Medications (Ambien, Trazodone, etc.), Caffeine, THC/CBD, Psychedelics, Exercise, Smart Drugs, Fasting, and More Affect Sleep

The Tim Ferriss Show

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The Relationship between Sleep and Alzheimer's Disease

The connection between sleep and Alzheimer's disease has emerged as an exciting area in sleep science. Alzheimer's disease is characterized by memory decline and is associated with two protein pathological culprits: beta amyloid and tau protein. Correlation studies have shown that individuals with insufficient sleep are at a higher risk of developing high amounts of these toxic proteins in the brain. Sleep disorders such as insomnia and sleep apnea also increase the risk of Alzheimer's pathology and progression. Further research has identified a causal relationship between sleep deprivation and an increase in beta amyloid and tau protein levels in the brain. Even a recovery night of sleep is not sufficient to downgrade the metabolic toxins in the brain. These findings demonstrate that sleep plays a crucial role in the development and progression of Alzheimer's disease.

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