Poor Sleep May Accelerate Brain Aging and Increase Inflammation
Poor sleep quality is linked to accelerated brain aging and increased systemic inflammation, highlighting the importance of good sleep habits for cognitive health.
Recent research from Karolinska Institutet highlights the significant impact of poor sleep on brain health, revealing that inadequate sleep may lead to accelerated brain aging. The comprehensive brain imaging study, published in eBioMedicine, analyzed data from 27,500 middle-aged and older adults from the UK Biobank. Using advanced machine learning techniques to evaluate over a thousand brain MRI features, researchers estimated the biological age of participants' brains compared to their chronological age.
Participants' sleep patterns were assessed based on five self-reported factors: chronotype (morning or evening preferences), sleep duration, insomnia, snoring, and daytime sleepiness. Based on their scores, they were categorized into healthy, intermediate, or poor sleep groups. The findings showed that each 1-point decrease in sleep quality was associated with about a six-month increase in brain age. Those with the poorest sleep habits had brains that appeared approximately one year older than their actual age.
A key finding of the study was the role of systemic inflammation. Elevated levels of low-grade inflammation in the body were linked to poorer sleep and were found to partly mediate the connection between poor sleep and accelerated brain aging—explaining just over ten percent of this association. This suggests that inflammation may be an underlying mechanism through which sleep deprivation affects brain health.
The researchers propose several possible mechanisms behind these effects, including impaired waste clearance during sleep and adverse impacts on cardiovascular health, which in turn can negatively influence brain integrity. While the study emphasizes the modifiable nature of sleep habits, the researchers note limitations, such as reliance on self-reported sleep data and the healthier-than-average profile of participants, which may affect the generalizability of results.
Overall, the study underscores the importance of healthy sleep for cognitive health and points to inflammation as a potential target for interventions aimed at slowing brain aging. Improving sleep quality may help reduce risks associated with cognitive decline and dementia.
Source: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-09-poor-brain-aging.html
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