REVEALED: The Earliest Sign of Alzheimer’s

Did you know that one in three seniors dies with some form of dementia? 

It’s a staggering number of people… and it’s only going to get worsebefore it gets better.

But even though there is no cure yet, I’m hopeful that one will be found in my lifetime.

In the meantime, the best we can do is identify it as early as possible in order to slow the progression of the disease.

Fortunately, new research has identified one of the earliest signs of Alzheimer’s disease.

And I’ll give you a few tips on how to REVERSE it. 

There have been a lot of studies connecting Alzheimer’s disease to lack of sleep, but this latest study is different because it looked specifically at deep sleep as opposed to quantity of sleep.

Deep sleep, or slow-wave sleep, is when you consolidate your memories and experiences. Getting enough deep sleep is key to making sure you wake up feeling energized and refreshed.

For the research, scientists evaluated 119 people with either no cognitive problems or only mild cognitive impairment. 

Next, they tracked how many hours the participants slept, monitored their brain waves using an EEG, and measured their levels of tau build-up, a protein in the brain that is associated with brain damage, cognitive decline, and Alzheimer’s disease.  

What they found was that those who didn’t get enough slow-wave sleep had higher levels of tau. 

But here’s what’s interesting… lack of sleep wasn’t connected to increases in tau, just lack of deep sleep.

In other words, when it comes to sleep, quality is more important than quantity.

So how do you know if you’re getting enough deep sleep? Here are a few signs that you’re not:

1.You wake up feeling groggy.

2.You’re tired all the time.

3.You’re experiencing brain fog.

4.Your fuse is shorter than usual.

5.You crave foods high in fat and sugar.

If you think you’re not getting enough deep sleep, consider getting tested for Alzheimer’s.

To get more deep sleep, avoid all blue light at night, stick to the same bedtime every night, and don’t eat big meals close to bedtime, and consider sleeping in a cooler room (about 67 degrees).

To a brighter day,

Dr. Richard Gerhauser, M.D.