A night of partying ages the brain by two years

After just one night without sleep, the brain appears older than its biological age. This is the conclusion reached by an international research team with Swiss participation. 134 healthy participants between the ages of 19 and 93 (42 women and 92 men) were examined.

The first was the biological age of the brain in all of them Determined by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).. Different experimental sleep conditions were then investigated in the Envihab sleep laboratory of the DLR Institute for Space Medicine in Cologne, among others: complete sleep deprivation (being awake for more than 24 hours), acute sleep deprivation (three hours of sleep for one night) Chronic partial sleep deprivation (five hours of sleep for five consecutive nights).

Scientists have realized that complete sleep deprivation increases the lifespan of the biological brain by one to two years. In contrast, brain age was not significantly altered by acute or chronic partial sleep deprivation.

Restful sleep is crucial

There’s also good news from the researchers for people who love to party and love a night out. Interestingly, brain age varies After a restful night’s sleep It is no longer the initial value. Lead author David Elmenhorst from the Institute of Neurosciences and Medicine at Forschungszentrum Jülich explains the ‘regeneration’ of the brain, so to speak.”

This indicates that sleep is necessary for a person to maintain physical and mental health. Also, sleep and the brain influence each other. Sleep disturbance can accelerate the aging process of the brain. Elmenhort’s conclusion: “Overall, consistent findings indicate that only total sleep loss alters brain morphology in young participants in an age-like direction. However, these changes are reversed by restful sleep.” In short: If you’re going through it, you should at least treat yourself to a long, restful night’s sleep the next night.

The study appeared in “Journal of Neuroscience”.

View comments