[Warning] This Problem is SHRINKING Your Brain

It’s one of the scariest things about getting older.

I’m not talking about getting cancer…or diabetes…or even dying.

It’s the fear of losing your mind.

With Alzheimer’s at an all-time high (and climbing), you have every right to be worried. 

But there’s a common nighttime problem that may be sending your risk of brain shrinkage… and Alzheimer’s… through the roof. 

And fixing it is the key to enjoying the Alzheimer’s-free future you deserve. 

I’ve talked to you before about how important sleep is for your mental health. 

But research keeps piling up showing just how damaging those sleepless nights can really be. 

And this latest study may just be the most alarming of all.

According to research published in the Journal of Neuroscience, not getting enough sleep can cause the brain to eat itself.

Literally.

Let me explain. While you’re sleeping, tiny cells called astrocytes clear out and repair damage to your brain cells. 

Think of them like tiny garbage men.

But if you don’t get enough sleep, that same process that clears away the bad stuff goes a bit haywire – and those astrocytes ATTACK your brain instead. 

In a new study, researchers compared fully rested mice to those who were sleep-deprived.

Turns out that in the mice whose sleep was interrupted, those cellular garbage men actually ate away portions of their synapses. 

Synapses are the spaces between nerve cells that allow the cells to properly communicate. 

The more the mice were sleep deprived, the more their synapses were destroyed.

That’s an alarming prospect, considering loss of synapses has been linked to brain-robbing conditions like Alzheimer’s. 

Other studies have shown that lack of sleep increases the amount of beta amyloid plaque in the brain—the hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease.

Why? Because when you don’t get enough sleep, your body’s repair systems can clear out the damaging gunk.

The key to making sure you’re getting plenty of good, restorative sleep, is to follow your body’s natural circadian rhythm. 

The two main steps for achieving this are getting plenty of outdoor sun exposure every morning, and limiting your exposure to blue light in the evenings. That means shut down your TV and computer screens before bedtime, or invest in blue-blocking glasses (you can get them at www.amazon.com)

To a brighter day,

Dr. Richard Gerhauser, M.D.