They say it has been known for some time that significant sleep deprivation has negative effects on brain function that is comparable to that of alcohol intoxication.
According to researchers reporting in the Archives of Neurology, levels of amyloid beta protein seem to ebb and flow during the sleep and wake cycles.
In older adults with Alzheimer's, those levels seem to be constant suggesting a possible link between lack of sleep and people's odds for developing the disease.
