Ian was interviewed by The Daily Mail and our work is featured in a piece which spoke to various dementia experts to learn the things they do to stave off dementia.
In bed by 10pm for a good night's sleep
Dr Ian Harrison, a senior research fellow at the Centre for Advanced Biomedical Imaging at University College London, who specialises in brain imaging, says: ‘When it comes to lowering my own dementia risk, I swear by a good night’s sleep. I used to go to bed later, but for the past three years I’ve been strict about going to bed at 10pm every day, even at weekends.
Dr Ian Harrison, a senior research fellow at the Centre for Advanced Biomedical Imaging at University College London, who specialises in brain imaging, says: ‘When it comes to lowering my own dementia risk, I swear by a good night’s sleep +10
Dr Ian Harrison, a senior research fellow at the Centre for Advanced Biomedical Imaging at University College London, who specialises in brain imaging, says: ‘When it comes to lowering my own dementia risk, I swear by a good night’s sleep
Dr Ian Harrison, a senior research fellow at the Centre for Advanced Biomedical Imaging at University College London, who specialises in brain imaging, says: ‘When it comes to lowering my own dementia risk, I swear by a good night’s sleep
He says: ‘We know from studies that the glymphatic system is 70 per cent more active when we sleep'
'The time I wake up depends on my children, aged one and three, but I set my bedtime early to give my brain the best chance to rest and have a clearout during the night.
‘The brain has a cleaning system, called the glymphatic system, which removes a build-up proteins and waste products.
‘We know from studies that the glymphatic system is 70 per cent more active when we sleep. If there is an impairment in the system due to lack of sleep, then this may lead to a build-up of proteins, including amyloid.
‘Anecdotally, we all know that we have a fuzzy head if we have a bad night’s sleep: this may be due to the glymphatic system not clearing out all the waste products.’
A review of studies by the University of Florida, published in the journal Sleep in 2017, followed up patients with sleep disorders, including obstructive sleep apnoea [where people stop breathing momentarily as they sleep], over nine and a half years and found a higher risk of them developing Alzheimer’s compared with those who had no sleep disturbances.
He says: ‘We know from studies that the glymphatic system is 70 per cent more active when we sleep'
He says: ‘We know from studies that the glymphatic system is 70 per cent more active when we sleep'
Dr Harrison also makes sure he gets plenty of exercise.
‘We know from animal studies that exercise boosts the function of the glymphatic system,’ he says, ‘so I also go for a run and go to the gym every week, as well as cycling to work.’
Separately, but for the same reasons, Roger Watson, a professor of nursing at the University of Hull who works in care of older people, always switches off his phone at night.
‘The light and potential buzzing can be disruptive to sleep — and studies suggest that broken sleep has an impact on our risk of dementia,’ he says.
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