Health
Poor sleep in middle age could affect the brain in a surprising way, study finds
There are some obvious signs of a poor night’s sleep — fatigue, irritability and trouble focusing, to name a few — but it can also have some hidden effects.
In a new study led by University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), poor sleep was linked to faster brain aging in middle-aged adults.
While previous studies have focused on older adults, the average age of the 589 people in this study was 40 years old, according to a press release.
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The participants completed two sleep questionnaires five years apart. After 15 years, they underwent brain scans.
In a new study led by University of California, San Francisco, poor sleep was linked to faster brain aging in middle-aged adults. (iStock)
“We calculated brain age using a machine learning approach, using MRI data to estimate the amount of brain shrinkage corresponding to a specific age,” study author Clémence Cavaillès, PhD, a researcher at UCSF, told Fox News Digital.
“We showed that poor sleep that persisted over five years — and specifically when it related to insomnia symptoms — was found to be highly relevant to brain aging.”
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When evaluating sleep quality, the researchers looked at six poor sleep characteristics: short sleep duration, bad sleep quality, difficulty falling asleep, difficulty staying asleep, early morning awakening and daytime sleepiness.
“We showed that poor sleep that persisted over five years — and specifically when it related to insomnia symptoms — was found to be highly relevant to brain aging,” said the lead study author. (iStock)
Middle-aged participants with two to three poor sleep characteristics had a brain age that was 1.6 years older than those with no more than one poor sleep characteristic, according to Cavaillès.
Those with more than three poor sleep characteristics exhibited a brain age of 2.6 years older.
“Poor sleep that persisted over five years — and specifically when it related to insomnia symptoms — was found to be highly relevant to brain aging.”
The findings were published in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
“These findings are critical because they demonstrate that the link between sleep disturbances and brain health extends beyond older adulthood, suggesting that poor sleep in early midlife may already contribute to accelerated brain aging,” he said.
“If someone is facing persistent problems with sleep quality or insomnia symptoms, they should undergo further evaluation,” a doctor advised. (iStock)
Advanced brain aging is associated with cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease-related patterns, the researcher noted.
“Therefore, poor sleep may be an important target for early interventions aimed at preventing neurocognitive decline, even before the lesion’s accumulation begins.”
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The researchers were surprised to find that there was not an association between sleep duration and accelerated brain aging, Cavaillès noted.
“Sleep duration in midlife may be influenced by numerous factors, such as work, stress, multitasking or menopause,” he told Fox News Digital.
Advanced brain aging is associated with cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease-related patterns. (iStock)
“Thus, it is also possible that its association with cognition is more complex during this critical period, and potentially more difficult to capture and/or less impactful.”
Overall, the study results suggest that the importance of sleep for brain health in midlife would be more closely tied to quality rather than quantity in midlife, the researcher added.
‘Integral relationship’
Dr. Jocelyn Y. Cheng, a New Jersey neurologist and spokesperson for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, was not involved in the study but weighed in on the findings.
“This study provides further support for the integral relationship between sleep and brain health,” she told Fox News Digital.
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“The findings highlight particular aspects of poor sleep — specifically early morning awakening and persistent difficulty with initiating sleep, which were associated with greater estimated age-related brain atrophy as measured by MRI.”
Sleep plays a role in clearing out beta-amyloid, the protein that accumulates in the brains of people who develop Alzheimer’s disease, Cheng noted.
Sleep plays a role in clearing out beta-amyloid, the protein that accumulates in the brains of people who develop Alzheimer’s disease. (REUTERS/Denis Balibouse)
When someone gets poor sleep, that clearance ability is reduced.
“Being readily identifiable, the onset of these symptoms may represent a key timepoint during which intervention could mitigate the development of disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease later in life,” Cheng added.
Potential limitations
The study did have some limitations, including the fact that it relied on people reporting their own sleep habits, which may not always be accurate, according to Cavaillès.
“Also, because this was an observational study, we can’t say for certain that poor sleep directly causes brain aging — only that there’s a strong connection between the two,” he added.
“This study provides further support for the integral relationship between sleep and brain health.”
Cheng agreed that causation cannot be determined from the study, and also noted that it did not investigate whether brain atrophy had an impact on cognition.
Despite these limitations, she said, “There are plausible roles that poor sleep may play in brain health.”
Improving sleep quality
Based on the findings, people can improve their quality of rest by adopting several good sleep hygiene practices, Cavaillès said.
“They can start by maintaining a consistent sleep schedule, going to bed and waking up at the same time every day,” he said.
Regular exercise can help improve sleep quality, experts agree. (iStock)
“Creating an ideal sleep environment — keeping the bedroom dark, quiet and at a cool temperature — also helps.”
Regular exercise and exposure to natural sunlight can also improve sleep quality.
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Cavaillès also suggests avoiding screens and blue light, as well as stimulants like caffeine and alcohol.
“Incorporating relaxation techniques before bed, such as deep breathing or meditation, can also help prepare the body for sleep,” the researcher added.
Healthy sleep is essential for a healthy brain, experts agree. “If someone is facing persistent problems with sleep quality or insomnia symptoms, they should undergo further evaluation,” a doctor advised. (iStock)
Cheng echoed that healthy sleep is essential for a healthy brain, hence the importance of maintaining good sleep habits.
“If someone is facing persistent problems with sleep quality or insomnia symptoms, they should undergo further evaluation,” she said.
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“This may be indicative of an underlying disorder, such as obstructive sleep apnea, and intervention may improve both quality of life and overall health.”
The study was funded by the National Institute on Aging.
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There has been a shake-up in the Make America Healthy Again movement regarding glyphosate, a widely used herbicide that has been the subject of significant controversy.
The debate follows an executive order signed by President Donald Trump that ensures an adequate supply of elemental phosphorus and glyphosate-based herbicides related to national defense.
MAHA supporters have previously pushed a pesticide-free agenda, warning of potential health harms caused by glyphosate.
Dr. Marc Siegel, Fox News senior medical analyst, said he believes there is sufficient evidence linking glyphosate to neurodegenerative diseases, including ALS, Parkinson’s and multiple sclerosis, to warrant limiting exposure.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order that ensures an adequate supply of elemental phosphorus and glyphosate-based herbicides related to national defense. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
“With Parkinson’s, this association appears to be due to the gut, vagus nerve and brain axis, where the exposure affects the microbiome in the gut, which then ascends slowly up to the brain, causing the neurodegenerative disease years later,” Siegel told Fox News Digital.
“There is also a growing association being found between high-dose glyphosate or occupational exposure and metabolic disorders, liver disease and some cancers, specifically lymphoma.”
He added, “Growing research backs this. I favor limiting it.”
“When we apply them across millions of acres and allow them into our food system, we put Americans at risk.”
Studies have shown that glyphosate, which is used in products such as Roundup, owned by Monsanto, could raise cancer risk.
In one University of Washington study published in the journal Mutation Research, researchers found that exposure to it increased the risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma by 41%.
The nonprofit Investigate Midwest, which analyzed data from both the U.S. Geological Survey and the National Cancer Institute, also recently found that pesticides may contribute to cancer rates.
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Among the top 500 counties for per-square-mile pesticide use, more than 60% had cancer rates above the national average of 460 cases per 100,000 people, according to the report.
Investigate Midwest, which is based in Illinois, interviewed more than 100 farmers, environmentalists, lawmakers and scientists as part of a partnership with the Pulitzer Center’s StoryReach U.S. Fellowship.
Among the top 500 counties for per-square-mile pesticide use, more than 60% had cancer rates above the national average of 460 cases per 100,000 people, according to one study. (iStock)
Iowa, which used 53 million pounds of pesticides last year, holds the nation’s title for second-highest cancer rate.
Bill Billings, a resident of Red Oak, Iowa, was diagnosed with cancer in 2014.
“The cancer specialist said, very directly, (my) cancer is a result of being exposed to chemicals,” Billings said in the report.
Kelly Ryerson, founder of Glyphosate Facts and owner of the Instagram account @glyphosategirl, told Fox News Digital her journey researching the herbicide began with her own health struggles.
Ryerson, who is based in California, previously struggled with chronic illness and autoimmune issues, which she said improved when she stopped eating gluten.
Iowa, which used 53 million pounds of pesticides last year, holds the nation’s title for second-highest cancer rate. (iStock)
After attending a medical conference at Columbia University’s Celiac Disease Center, Ryerson began to question modern farming practices rather than the gluten itself.
“A lot of times, farmers are spraying Roundup on our grains right before harvest to facilitate an easier harvest,” she said. “After that easier harvest, because everything’s dry at the same time, those crops go directly to the mill and may end up in our food supply, at alarmingly high levels.”
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In 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), part of the World Health Organization framework, classified glyphosate as “probably carcinogenic to humans.”
The classification was based on limited evidence of cancer in humans (notably non-Hodgkin lymphoma in some studies) and sufficient evidence in experimental animals.
“President Trump’s executive order reinforces the critical need for U.S. farmers to have access to essential, domestically produced crop protection tools, such as glyphosate,” a Monsanto spokesperson said. (Wolf von Dewitz/picture alliance via Getty Images)
A spokesperson for Monsanto told Fox News Digital it will comply with Trump’s order to produce glyphosate and elemental phosphorus.
“President Trump’s executive order reinforces the critical need for U.S. farmers to have access to essential, domestically produced crop protection tools, such as glyphosate,” the spokesperson said.
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HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has long been a vocal critic of Roundup, working with his legal team in 2018 to award $289 million to a man who alleged the weed killer caused his non-Hodgkin lymphoma, according to reports.
Following backlash to Trump’s executive order, Kennedy said he supports the order but acknowledged that “pesticides and herbicides are toxic by design, engineered to kill living organisms.”
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“When we apply them across millions of acres and allow them into our food system, we put Americans at risk,” he posted on X. “Chemical manufacturers have paid tens of billions of dollars to settle cancer claims linked to their products, and many agricultural communities report elevated cancer rates and chronic disease.”
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment.
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Living near heavy traffic could negatively impact your heart health.
A European study, published in the journal Environmental Research, found that exposure to nighttime road traffic noise is linked to changes in the blood, leading to worsened cholesterol and cardiovascular risks.
The researchers considered data from the U.K. Biobank, Rotterdam Study, and Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966, including more than 272,000 adults over the age of 30, according to a press release.
Nighttime road noise exposure was estimated at all participants’ homes based on national noise maps. Researchers also took blood samples to measure the participants’ metabolic biomarkers for disease, then mapped the link between nightly noise levels and existence of biomarkers.
Exposure to loud noise was associated with increased concentrations of cholesterol-related biomarkers. (iStock)
The study found that people exposed to louder noise at night — especially sounds above 55 decibels — showed changes in 48 different substances in their blood. Twenty of these associations “remained robust” throughout all cohorts.
Exposure to loud noise was associated with increased concentrations of cholesterol-related biomarkers, especially LDL “bad” cholesterol, IDL (intermediate-density lipoprotein) and unsaturated fatty acids.
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As noise levels increased, starting at around 50 decibels, cholesterol markers rose steadily, the release stated.
The authors concluded that this study “provides evidence that nighttime road traffic noise exposure from 50 dB upward is associated with alterations in blood cholesterol and lipid profiles in adults.”
Researchers noted a link between traffic noise and cardiometabolic disease. (iStock)
Study co-author Yiyan He, doctoral researcher at the University of Oulu in Finland, noted that in this type of research, small effect sizes are expected, and environmental exposures such as traffic noise are “typically modest.”
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“Despite this, we observed statistically robust and consistent associations across many biomarkers, especially those related to LDL and IDL lipoproteins,” she told Fox News Digital.
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“We also identified a clear exposure-response pattern starting at around 50 dB, suggesting that metabolic changes become more evident as noise levels increase.”
This aligns with public health guidance, as the World Health Organization recommends lower nighttime noise limits at around 40 to 45 dB, Yiyan He added.
“This finding may clarify the association between traffic noise and cardiometabolic diseases,” the researchers wrote. (iStock)
“The 55 dB level is often used as an interim benchmark associated with substantial noise annoyance and sleep disturbance,” she said. “In our study, we observed associations not only at 55 dB, but also indications of effects emerging at around 50 dB.”
The strength and consistency of the cholesterol-related associations were surprising, as these changes are usually “subtle.”
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“Instead, we found consistent associations across multiple large European cohorts, which strengthens confidence that the findings may reflect real biological patterns,” Yiyan He went on. “We were also interested to see that effects were minimal below ~50 dB, suggesting a possible threshold-like pattern.”
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The researcher noted that these findings were consistent across genders, education levels and obesity status.
The study was restricted to White Europeans, which posed a limitation. There was also a lack of information on the fasting status in the UK Biobank.
Changes in cholesterol levels were more severe than researchers expected. (iStock)
“Fasting can influence levels of certain metabolites, particularly fatty acids,” Yiyan He said. “However, based on UK Biobank documentation, fewer than 10% of participants were fasting for at least eight hours, and our main findings focused on cholesterol-related biomarkers, which are generally less sensitive to short-term fasting.”
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The researchers also lacked information on bedroom location, indoor noise exposure and time spent at home.
“These factors may introduce non-differential exposure misclassification,” Yiyan He said. “Additionally, noise exposure estimates were based on participants’ temporary residential addresses at the time of blood sampling, without considering the duration of residence.”
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“Many of these limitations would tend to bias results toward the null, so the consistent associations we observed remain noteworthy.”
Experts recommend taking measures to limit traffic noise at night. (iStock)
Based on this latest research, Yiyan He noted that nighttime noise is a “health-relevant exposure,” not just “an annoyance.”
“Our findings suggest that nighttime traffic noise may subtly but consistently affect metabolic health,” she said. “While the changes in cholesterol and lipid levels for any one individual are small, traffic noise affects a very large number of people, which means the potential public health impact could be substantial.”
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The researcher recommends taking measures like improving sound insulation, using noise-reducing strategies and placing bedrooms on the quieter side of the home when possible.
“Because sleep is a key pathway linking noise to health, protecting the nighttime sleep environment is especially important,” she added.
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