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How you can slow or prevent Alzheimer's disease
Last reviewed: 02.07.2025
Getting more than six hours of quality sleep a night may help prevent or slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease, according to a new study from Murdoch University. The study, titled "Low self-reported sleep efficiency and duration are associated with faster accumulation of amyloid beta plaques in the brain in cognitively intact older adults," is published in the journal Alzheimer's & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment & Disease Monitoring.
The study found that the accumulation of beta-amyloid plaques in the brain, a process linked to the development and progression of the disease, is closely linked to individual sleep patterns.
The study highlighted that poorer sleep quality and shorter sleep duration were associated with faster accumulation of beta-amyloid in the brain in older people whose memory and thinking were still intact.
Associate Professor Stephanie Rainey-Smith, from Murdoch University's Centre for Healthy Ageing, said the findings provide new hope for us all.
" Alzheimer's disease is a condition that is traditionally diagnosed later in life, but the disease processes begin much earlier," said Professor Rainey-Smith.
"There is currently no known cure for Alzheimer's disease, but our study suggests that we should consider individualized sleep interventions as a modifiable risk factor for Alzheimer's disease that may delay or prevent the onset and progression of symptoms in the early stages of the disease.
"Our findings add to the growing evidence on how lifestyle factors such as sleep can be used to combat neurodegenerative diseases."
"We are delighted to be able to support this research, which highlights the importance of good quality sleep for brain health," said Professor Vicky Was, chief executive of Alzheimer's Research Australia.
"We look forward to further research into how improving sleep may provide new hope that Alzheimer's disease will become a distant memory."
The longitudinal study included analysis of 189 cognitively intact adults aged 60 to 80 years with up to six years of follow-up data, including brain neuroimaging.