Poor Sleep Linked with Shrinking Brain Volume

A small study has found an association between poor sleep patterns and a reduction in brain volume over time. This does not mean that poor sleep caused the changes in brain size. Those changes may have caused the poor sleep patterns, or both things may be related to a third factor. The study included 147 adults. Over several years, they answered questions about sleep. They also underwent MRI scans of the brain. About one-third of people in the study had definite sleep problems. Those people tended to lose brain volume faster than people who slept well.