A new study suggests that taking sleeping pills may help lower the risk of Alzheimer’s. Researchers found a slight decrease in two key proteins, amyloid-beta and tau, which are known to accumulate in Alzheimer’s disease.

In a study published in 2023 in Annals of Neurology, researchers from Washington University in St. Louis, found that people who took suvorexant , a common medication for insomnia, for a period of two nights had lesser build-up of amyloid-beta and tau.

Sleep issues are early warning signs of Alzheimer's disease and often appear before memory loss and cognitive decline. By the time these initial symptoms develop, levels of abnormal amyloid-beta are almost peaking, which can form clumps called plaques that clog up brain cells.

According to Alzheimer's Association, it's common for people with the degenerative disease to experience problems with sleeping. Although, the reasons for this is not entirely clear.

Around 25% of people with mild to moderate Alzheimer's experience sleep problems while 50% of people with moderate to severe Alzheimer's may find sleeping difficult. Sleep troubles tend to get worse as Alzheimer's becomes worse.

As per researchers of this study, finding ways to improve sleep may help ward off Alzheimer's disease. They believe that the process of sleeping can help brain to remove leftover proteins and other toxins.

However, study authors warn about the indiscriminate use of sleeping pills.

"It would be premature for people who are worried about developing Alzheimer's to interpret it as a reason to start taking suvorexant every night," said neurologist Brendan Lucey, of Washington University's Sleep Medicine Center, who led the research.

How the study was carried out
The study involved 38 middle-aged participants between the age of 48-65, who displayed no signs of cognitive impairment or sleep issues. It was done over a period of two nights. They were divided into two groups. One group received one of two doses of suvorexant and the other was administered a placebo pill. Researchers tapped their cerebrospinal fluid to collect a small sample and continued to do so every two hours for 36 hours while the participants slept during the next day and night to monitor levels of protein.

It was observed that there was no difference in the sleep between two groups, but amyloid-beta concentrations were reduced by between 10 and 20 percent in the group who got a dose of suvorexant usually prescribed for insomnia, compared to the placebo group.

The higher dose of suvorexant also momentarily reduced levels of hyperphosphorylated tau, a modified form of the tau protein linked to the formation of tau tangles and cell death, but this change only lasted for less than 24 hours of taking the sleeping pill.

"If you can reduce tau phosphorylation, potentially there would be less tangle formation and less neuronal death," said Lucey.

Limitations of sleeping pills
Sleeping pills aren't a foolproof way to get better sleep as studies say it may lead to shallow bouts of sleep and do not help with deep sleep. Besides, one may get dependent on them very soon.

An earlier research has found a link between less good quality, slow-wave sleep and elevated levels of tau tangles and amyloid-beta protein.

In this latest study, Lucey and colleagues wanted to find out if improving sleep with the help of sleeping pills can lower tau and amyloid-beta levels in the cerebrospinal fluid that bathes the brain and spinal cord. Just one night of disrupted sleep can send amyloid-beta levels rising.

"I'm hopeful that we will eventually develop drugs that take advantage of the link between sleep and Alzheimer's to prevent cognitive decline," said Lucey. But he admitted, "We're not quite there yet."

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