2023-09-28 18:45:00
We know that lack of sleep is bad for your health. Cardiovascular problems, reduced attention span, irritability… There are many harmful causes for the body. And that’s not all, according to a study, pulling an all-nighter could also cause premature aging of the brain. Explanations.
Getting to sleep is not always an easy task. Between stress, too much coffee or noise, it is sometimes difficult to sleep at night. According to a study conducted by the Sleep Foundation, a non-profit association, and relayed by the National Library of Medicine, this deprivation of rest is not without risk. Researchers from the University of Zurich, in Switzerland, looked into the question and tried to determine the consequences of sleepless nights on our brain. Result: a night without sleep could age him by one to two years, depending on the person.
Also read: Do we really need eight hours of sleep a night?
Data collected from 134 volunteers
To achieve this result, the scientists compared the MRI scans of 134 healthy volunteers (42 women and 92 men), aged between 19 and 39 years (25.3 years on average). Using suitable devices, they measured the disturbances occurring in the brains of these adults, after different periods of rest. The data collected was then populated into an artificial intelligence tool, capable of recognizing all the neurological signs of aging, thanks to hundreds of images of brains at different ages. As a result, those who were deprived of sleep for 24 hours or more systematically showed signs of brain aging, one or two years older than those who had gotten enough sleep.
Read also: How to recover after a sleepless night?
No rest, no brain irrigation
Still according to this study, these upheavals in the brain are linked to the disruption of fluid flows, which generally occur at night, when the body is awake. No rest, no irrigation. The brain therefore does not function as usual, and slows down, until it resembles that of an elderly person. “Sleep cleanses the brain, and therefore facilitates the movements of the interstitial fluid, which helps to evacuate the toxins released by the cells, and allows you to get off to a good start the next day,” explains Damien Davenne, chronobiologist and professor at the University of Caen, interviewed by the evening edition.“A poorly rested brain is like an untidy house, it starts the day with still lots of things in the trash bags,” continues the professor.
Read also: French teenagers don’t get enough sleep, here’s why
A reversible effect
“The brain is the first tissue in the body to be affected by sleep deprivation, which has consequences on the overall performance of individuals, even on a small scale,” specifies the chronobiologist.
Don’t panic, according to this study, these agings are not permanent! All it takes is a good night’s rest to get back to normal. The researchers also found that these effects of accelerated aging did not occur after a night of only three hours, since the brain seemed to adapt and take an “express” rest. Ditto for five five-hour nights in a row.
Read also: Here is the age at which the brain begins to decline, according to science
An observation which leaves Damien Davenne perplexed: “For me, we cannot really describe this phenomenon as “aging” since it is reversible, which goes against the very principle of aging…” However, what is certain , is that the “regions of the brain that we do not use atrophy, and as we age, humans use their brain a little less, which could explain these results”.
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