Table of Contents
We all know that good sleep is fundamental for health. However, few people realise
How Scientists Measured Sleep-Related Brain Age
Researchers examined more than 27,000 adults from the UK Biobank database, with the average age of participants being approximately 55 years. They used a machine learning model (AI) that analysed more than a thousand of parameters from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to determine how old the brain was compared to a person’s actual age. [1]
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Sleep quality was assessed based on five common factors that participants self-reported in a questionnaire:
- whether they are morning or evening types
- how many hours they sleep per day (ideally 7–9 hours) [2]
- whether they suffer from insomnia
- whether they snore
- whether they are excessively tired or sleepy during the day
Based on these factors, a healthy sleep index was created, rated on a scale of 0–5 points. Participants were divided into three groups: healthy sleep (≥4 points), moderate (2–3 points), and poor (≤1 point).
What Did the Research Find and Why Does it Matter?
People with poor quality sleep (1 point or less), compared to the healthy sleep group (4 points or more), had an average of 1 year biologically older brain than their actual age. So, why does it matter? Scientists further explain that sleep quality is important for the brain because:
- poor sleep can accelerate brain ageing, which increases the risk of later cognitive decline and dementia
- chronic inflammation (low-grade inflammation) in the body has been identified as one of the possible mechanisms driving the brain ageing process. According to scientists, low-grade inflammation could account for about 10% of the differences in biological brain age.
These findings align with previous research indicating that sleep is crucial for a wide range of biological functions, including metabolism regulation, immune function modulation, toxin removal from the brain, and memory consolidation. [3–5]
Should You be Concerned about the Biological Age of Your Brain?
The study results are quite significant. However, the scientists’ message is not meant to scare people who didn’t get the best sleep today. In conclusion, they emphasise that sleep is a modifiable factor. This means that it can be worked on and improved in several possible ways using various methods. We have discussed these, for example, in the articles:
- How to improve sleep and how it affects health and muscle growth?
- How To Fall Asleep Quickly? Try These Simple Tips For A Better Sleep
- Unlock the Secret to Quality Sleep with the 10-3-2-1-0 Rule
What Does all this Mean for Us?
Ultimately, this means that quality sleep can be the best anti-ageing tool for the brain. We can slow down its ageing by focusing on optimal sleep duration (7–9 hours per day) and quality. Of course, it is also necessary to consider your diet and focus on healthy fats, such as
[1] Yuyang Miaoa, Jiao Wangc, Xuerui Lia, Jie Guoc, Maria M. Ekblomf, Shireen Sindih – Poor sleep health is associated with older brain age: the role of systemic inflammation – https://www.thelancet.com/journals/ebiom/article/PIIS2352-3964(25)00385-8/fulltext
[2] How Much Sleep Is Enough? – https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/sleep/how-much-sleep
[3] F Haist, J Bowden Gore, H Mao – Consolidation of human memory over decades revealed by functional magnetic resonance imaging – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11600889/
[4] Lulu Xie, Hongyi Kang, Qiwu Xu, Michael J Chen, Yonghong Liao, Meenakshisundaram Thiyagarajan, John O'Donnell, Daniel J Christensen, Charles Nicholson, Jeffrey J Iliff, Takahiro Takano, Rashid Deane, Maiken Nedergaard – Sleep drives metabolite clearance from the adult brain – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24136970/
[5] Jerome M Siegel – Sleep function: an evolutionary perspective – https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laneur/article/PIIS1474-4422(22)00210-1/abstract
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