New study suggests unexpected link between long sleep and Alzheimer’s

 But do you have cause and effect correct? Early undetected Alzheimers may cause long sleep!

New study suggests unexpected link between long sleep and Alzheimer’s

Researchers found that older adults who routinely sleep 10 hours or more a night had elevated levels of a blood protein considered an early warning sign of dementia.

Sleeping long hours every night may be linked to elevated levels of a blood protein widely regarded as a telltale sign of Alzheimer’s disease, according to a new study by the University of Texas at San Antonio’s academic health center.

UT Health San Antonio reports that, among the 2,410 participants, those who slept 8.5 to nine hours a night had higher levels of phosphorylated tau 181, or p-tau181, a modified form of tau protein associated with cognitive decline. Researchers said p-tau181 levels increased “most sharply” among sleepers who slept more than 10 hours a night. “A lot of people worry about whether their sleep habits are affecting their brain health,” said Vanessa M. Young, PhD, MS, a postdoctoral research fellow at the center’s Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases. “Because this is a snapshot in time rather than a long-term study, we cannot say that long sleep causes Alzheimer’s, but the findings suggest it may be worth monitoring, and that more sleep is not always better for brain health.”

Participants had an average age of 70. Just over 55 percent were female.

Related video: Alzheimer's disease study (KARE-TV Minneapolis St. Paul)The study follows up onby UT Health San Antonio that found sleeping nine or more hours a night was associated with worse cognitive performance, especially among people diagnosed with depression. The latest study, conducted by some of the same researchers, was more extensive. It accounted for multiple health factors and examined blood-based markers that have been tied to Alzheimer’s and neurodegeneration in relation to participants’ self-reported sleep hours. “Sleep is a promising modifiable risk factor linked to the disease,” researchers said, “but existing evidence has remained limited and inconclusive.” people diagnosed with depression. The latest study, conducted by some of the same researchers, was more extensive. It accounted for multiple health factors and examined blood-based markers that have been tied to Alzheimer’s and neurodegeneration in relation to participants’ self-reported sleep hours. “Sleep is a promising modifiable risk factor linked to the disease,” researchers said, “but existing evidence has remained limited and inconclusive.”

Three other proteins associated with brain cell damage were also tested but, unlike p-tau181, they appeared to have no association with sleep duration, researchers said.

While the study found elevated levels of p-tau181 among habitual long sleepers, UT Health San Antonio said more research is needed to determine whether the association can ultimately be tied to Alzheimer’s risk.

The center’s findings coincide with a study published last week in JAMA that said simple blood tests may be able to predict who will develop cognitive impairment up to a decade before the first symptoms surface. The most accurate test measured levels of a mutation of a different tau protein, phosphorylated tau 217 (p-tau217).

The study of nearly 2,700 older adults on three continents found that people with high levels of the p-tau217 biomarker had a 38 percent chance of developing cognitive impairment within five years and a 78 percent chance within 10 years.

Further research and clinical trials could lead to the development of new therapies that may one day slow or even stop Alzheimer’s progression, researchers said.

An estimated 57 million people worldwide are affected by dementia, the San Antonio study noted, with Alzheimer’s diagnosed in 60 to 70 percent of all cases.

“Even with recent advances in disease-modifying therapies, Alzheimer’s remains a profound medical and societal challenge,” researchers said.

Young suggested that long sleepers might want to bring up the new study’s findings during their next doctor visit. “In plain terms, if you regularly find yourself sleeping nine to 10 hours or more a night,” she said, “it may be worth mentioning to your doctor as a useful conversation starter about your sleep quality and overall brain health.”

This post originally appeared at inc.com.

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