Better Sleep Means Better Brain Health Brain Health & Wellness

More Sleep Means More Brain Power

So sleep in without any guilt — it helps slow aging too

A good night's sleep isn't just refreshing: New research shows that lack of sleep ages the . Researchers asked study participants how much sleep they were getting — first as a baseline then five years later. Those whose sleep decreased during the five years showed an accelerated during cognitive testing that was equal to an extra four to seven years of aging. See also: Photo by: Adam Voorhes Research found that less sleep ages the brain faster.

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" regenerates neurons that enable the to function optimally," says lead author Jane Ferrie, Ph.D., senior researcher at University College London Medical School. Intriguingly, the study found that those whose sleep increased during the five years also exhibited cognitive decline, possibly due to , , or some other illness. So what's optimal? Six to eight hours — consistently.

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