Sleep for Memory & Staying Sharp

Memory loss and dementia top the fear list for aging for good reason:

• Our mind is where quality of life begins - Memory and Cognition matter.

• The rates of Foggy Brain complaints and Alzheimer's Disease are increasing.

• Effective drug interventions for Alzheimer's Disease do not yet exist.

The good news. Lifestyle interventions are proving effective not just for focus, but for prevention or delay (risk reduction) and reducing symptoms of early stage dementia. And it begins with sleep!

We can sleep our way to better memory and less dementia risk by directly impacting...

• Protecting the capture and consolidation of new memories

• Protecting the connecting of memories for learning & creative problem solving 

• Protecting our brain's nightly shower, cleaning out the day's metabolic waste

Indirectly we can make a difference by protecting the signals to our brain so it makes better choices for when to stop eating and start moving!

The Direct Benefits

#1. Making New Memories

Keep your memory going strong with regular, quality sleep (Consistent bedtime and wake time).

Sufficient Deep Sleep is needed to transfer our day's new memories from their temporary storage location (the hippocampus) to long-term storage. This frees up space for new memory capture the next day. If the transfer doesn't happen, we run out of space to capture new memories !

Imagine a USB stick that gets so full there is no room to store new data. We need to keep our regular date with Deep Sleep (a regular bedtime!) so it has time to make the transfer. Go to sleep well after your regular bedtime for a day or two and you have less room to capture new memories. Continue this pattern and some memories not yet transferred may be overwritten and lost forever.

#2. Connecting Memory Bites for Learning & Creative Problem Solving

Once memories are transferred to long-term storage, REM sleep takes over in the second half of the night.

During REM sleep we connect memories for learning and creative problem solving. REM further etches the memories into our brain, then organizes and integrates these new memories with older memories and experiences. 

Have you ever experienced that late-night inability to solve a problem, only to have the "aha" moment the next morning? REM sleep helps make those connections we might never see with our conscious waking mind. Watch out for Stealth Saboteurs like evening alcohol or late day coffee.

With sufficient, quality sleep on a regular schedule, we can run the full memory transfer and connection program, keep on learning, and keep having those creative insights!

#3. Your Nightly Brain Shower

Every night, our brain gets a good cleaning - if we get enough early Deep Sleep!

Through the recently discovered glymphatic system, spinal fluid enters our brain cells to flush out metabolic waste. This includes the infamous beta-amyloid plaques and tau proteins associated with Alzheimer's Disease. The cleaning process kicks into high gear during Deep Sleep in the first hours of the night.  

If we lose our early scheduled hours of Deep Sleep, the waste begins to pile up, increasing our Alzheimer's Disease risk. And we have a negative feedback loop: Too little sleep leads to amyloid and tau buildup. Amyloid and tau buildup leads to less sleep. While we cannot say which comes first, but we can see it happening in our body and brain.

The Upside: Getting sufficient, quality sleep on a regular schedule can make a profound difference. We don't have to wait for a miracle drug.  

The Indirect Benefits

#1. Hormone Signaling to the Brain

Here is just one example of an indirect benefit...

A body deprived of sleep typically leads to

1. An increase in the hormone that tells us to stop eating when where full and

2. A decrease in the hormone that it's time to stop eating AND it's OK to be moving (No need to conserve energy.)

These ancient survival responses are a mis-fire, triggering inflammation and metabolic issues like too-high Blood Glucose levels.

Sleep makes a difference in our choices - for better or worse - by influencing the hormone signals to our brain that trigger ancient automated survival habits! Reducing inflammation and metabolic issues isn't just good for reducing diabetes, cardio vascular, and cancer disease risk, it's also a priority for memory and cognition.

Learn more in the posts "Why Sleep Matters" and "Sleep: Who's In Charge?"

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Final Word

We can reduce our risk of foggy brain, memory loss, cognition, and learning challenges through sleep - both directly and indirectly. It's never too early or too late to start.

For JC notes, habit planners, and links to the experts for more detail, explore our Sleep Portal.

Wishing you all the best,

Janice