Scientists warn this one daily habit could be quietly shrinking your brain

Scientists all across the globe continue to attempt to understand the workings of the human brain, but a new study has delved into a potential cause of shrinking.

Now, before you start getting alarmed, the brain naturally starts to shrink in everyone and is a very normal process of ageing that isn't anything to worry about.

The atrophy of the brain, when it begins to waste away because of degeneration of the cells, tends to begin naturally in a person’s 30s and 40s. However, it can also be more pronounced due to health issues with dementia and disorders like traumatic brain injury or strokes. With that said, a new study has found that there may be a common habit that is linked to brain shrinkage.

An University of California San Francisco 2024 sleep study found that difficulties in sleeping appeared to contribute to atrophy of the brain.

Poor sleeping could be linked to brain shrinkage (Getty Stock Images)

Explaining the study, that was published in Neurology, a press release from the university stated: “To estimate the effects of sleep quality on the brain, the researchers surveyed approximately 600 adults on how well they slept.

“The participants were asked the same questions five years later and underwent brain scans 10 years after this.

"They found that even after adjusting for age, sex, education, health and lifestyle factors, the brains of those participants who slept poorly were more atrophied than those who slept well.

“Compared to the 70 percent of the sample who reported having little trouble sleeping, those with moderate difficulty (22 percent) had brains that were 1.6 years older, while those with the most difficulty (8 percent) had brains that were 2.6 years older.”

While a link has been established, previous studies have found similar results and called for more research into the topic.

The need for more research stems from not knowing whether sleep deprivation or having trouble falling asleep causes brains to shrink or whether it is the other way around, that people’s shrinking brains is causing them to sleep poorly.

Scientists have called for more research into this topic so we can get a better understanding of cause and effect (Getty Stock Image)

Clémence Cavaillès, PhD, of the UCSF Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, commented on the conclusions from the study.

She said: “While we can’t say that poor sleep causes dementia, earlier research has established an association.

“Even if the cause of dementia is unrelated to sleep, it’s possible that poor sleep may advance or exacerbate cognitive symptoms.”

Senior author Kristine Yaffe, MD, of the UCSF departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Neurology, and Epidemiology and Biostatistics also reiterated the importance of good sleep quality and argued this should be emphasized at younger ages to prevent potential brain decline.