Sleeping position could trigger diseases like ALS in your brain, study finds
THE position you sleep in could trigger or help suppress diseases like ALS, a new study has revealed. The research found that sleeping on your back, side or front could affect your brain’s health. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is the most common form of motor neuron disease. People with ALS progressively […]
THE position you sleep in could trigger or help suppress diseases like ALS, a new study has revealed.
The research found that sleeping on your back, side or front could affect your brain’s health.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is the most common form of motor neuron disease.
People with ALS progressively lose the ability to control muscle movements, including the ability to speak, swallow and breathe. There is currently no known cure.
Neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s and multiple sclerosis share many similarities, even though their clinical symptoms and disease progression look very different.
The incidence of ALS and other neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s increase with age and result in gradual loss of brain tissue.
Key is that researchers say there is also an increase in waste proteins that accumulate in the brain in these diseases.
A recent study published to UK-based scientific publisher BioMed Central studied a group of mice and identified a new target in the fight against ALS.
The research looked at how the glymphatic system, which removes waste from the brain, could prevent ALS.
Protein chains, folds and misfolds
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Inside our bodies, long protein chains fold to form functional shapes allowing them to perform specific tasks, including making antibodies to fight infection, supporting cells and transporting molecules.
Sometimes that process goes awry, resulting in “misfolded” proteins that clump together. Those can fragment, creating seeds that spread throughout the brain forming new clusters.
The researchers examined mice that were genetically modified to determine whether eliminating or slowing the spread of these waste proteins and their seeds could halt or slow the progression of disease.
Findings of the study
The results indicated that the mice exposed to the protein implicated in ALS showed classic symptoms of the disease, including brain atrophy.
Furthermore, they had worse glymphatic waste clearance capability.
The study provides the first evidence that the glymphatic system might be a potential therapeutic target in the treatment of ALS.
Importance of how we sleep
The glymphatic system removes waste, including toxic proteins, from the brain, but it’s generally non-responsive while we are awake. Instead, it kicks into gear when we sleep.
However, as we age sleep quality declines and the risk of neurodegenerative disease, including ALS, increases.
Sleep position is also thought to affect glymphatic clearance.
Research conducted in rodents has demonstrated glymphatic clearance is most efficient in the lateral (or side-sleeping) position, compared to either supine (on the back) or prone (front-lying) positions.
The reasons are not yet fully understood, but findings suggest it possibly relates to the effects of gravity, compression and stretching of tissue.
Apart from sleeping position, lifestyle can also help glymphatic function as well.
Omega-3, found in marine-based fish, has long been considered to be beneficial to health and reduced risk of neurodegenerative diseases. New research shows these benefits may be partly due to the positive effect of Omega-3 on glymphatic function.
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Moderate consumption of alcohol has been shown to improve waste clearance. In mouse studies, both short and long-term exposure to small amounts of alcohol were shown to boost glymphatic function, while high doses had the opposite effect.
Exercise has also been shown to be beneficial.
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