Sleep is essential for the brain, and a new study has found that it may cause more damage than not being enough as we feel. Now scientists say that poor quality of sleep can reduce parts of the brain and increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia, in which a person gradually loses memory, cognitive thinking, ability to argue and simple daily tasks. In Alzheimer’s, the brain begins to shrink progressively. It is the most common neurodogenative disease in the world.

Research attracted the attention of Tech billionaire Elon Musk, who is known for long work with a little sleep. He reacted with a “uh oh” after reading about the findings.

In the past, Kasturi admitted less than six hours at night and admitted to bed at 3 o’clock.

The study published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine tracked over 270 adults for more than a decade. It was found that people who found less deep sleep (called Slow-Wave Sleep) and REM sleep (a platform associated with dreaming) had small brain areas that are usually affected quickly in Alzheimer’s.

These areas, like inferior parietal cortex, are important for memory and thinking. Scientists used brain scan and sleep studies to create these connections.

“The low brain’s low activity during sleep can contribute to brain shrinkage,” the researcher Gavon Cho, Yale School of Medicine said. Even after considering other health factors, poor sleep remained a strong risk factor.

So, what is really slow and REM sleep?

Our brain cycles through four stages of sleep every night, from mild sleep to deep sleep (low-wave), and then REM via sleep.

According to Medical News, these are four stages of sleep:

Stage 1: The first phase is once you are closed. This is relatively mild sleep. The muscles begin to relax. It lasts for only 1 to 5 minutes.
Stage 2: Slightly deep, this stage lasts about 25 minutes. The body relaxes further.
Stage 3: This is the deepest stage of sleep. Heart rate, breathing and brain waves become more regular. Stage 3 is also called slow-wave sleep.
Stage 4: This phase is also called Rapid-I Movement (REM) sleep due to the speed of the eye in this stage. During REM sleep, the breath intensifies and blood pressure and heart rate reduce regular.

People usually cycle through these four stages every night 4 to 6 times. Both deep and REM sleep are necessary for brain health.

Researchers believe that deep sleep helps clear toxins from the brain. At least harmful build-ups and brain atrophy or shrinkage.

With some remedies available for Alzheimer’s, scientists say that sleep improvement can be a powerful way to protect the brain. And perhaps, even celebrate the busiest brain like musk, a little earlier to kill snooze.