Sleep deprivation is defined as an individual sleeping less than 6 hours per night. It is a common behavior amongst individuals who live in industrialized nations.Along with industrialization, its prevalence is also expected to rise with age. Despite this, there has been a shift in recent years with sleep deprivation increasing in the youth, likely related to the increased use of technology during the nighttime. Sleep deprivation and chronic sleep disruption are behaviors commonly observed amongst patients suffering from neurological and psychiatric disorders, like Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, depression, and anxiety. Many of these patients suffer from sleep disorders like insomnia, hypersomnia, and rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder. It has long been thought that lack of sleep was caused by these disorders, yet there may be evidence to support a bidirectional relation between the two. We searched the literature to determine if there is a link between sleep disorders and sleep deprivation causing the exacerbation of these neurological and psychiatric disorders. Some studies support this hypothesis, for example, linking β-amyloid plaque buildup to lack of sleep, therefore increasing the risk of Alzheimer’s disease among chronically sleep deprived individuals. In this presentation we will take a closer look into the possible reasons as to why poor sleep may negatively impact cognitive health.

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