Alzheimer’s and Sleep: Suvorexant’s Role in Tackling Toxic Proteins

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) remains an enigmatic and devastating condition, with growing evidence highlighting a critical link between sleep disturbances and disease progression. A 2023 study from Washington University in St. Louis demonstrated that suvorexant, an insomnia medication, could transiently reduce amyloid-beta and tau protein levels—key markers of AD—in cerebrospinal fluid. The study involved 38 healthy, middle-aged participants who received either suvorexant or a placebo for two nights. While protein reductions were observed, the effects were temporary, with tau levels rebounding within 24 hours. These findings underscore the potential of improving sleep to mitigate protein accumulation, a hallmark of AD pathology. However, prolonged use of sleeping pills poses risks, including dependence and disruption of deep sleep phases essential for brain health. Researchers emphasize that optimizing sleep hygiene and addressing conditions like sleep apnea may offer safer, long-term benefits. Although promising, more extensive studies are needed to explore sleep-based interventions for AD prevention.

Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36897120/