Sleep deprivation linked to biological ageing among old

A new study suggests that one night of partial sleep deprivation promotes biological aging among older adults. These findings causally link sleep deprivation to the etiology of biological aging. The results also support the hypothesis that sleep deprivation may be associated with elevated disease risk because it promotes molecular processes involved in biological aging.

"Our data support the hypothesis that one night of not getting enough sleep in older adults activates important biological pathways that promote biological aging," said lead author Judith Carroll, assistant professor of psychiatry and biobehavioral science at the University of California, Los Angeles.

The research was published online in the journal Sleep. The study group comprised 29 community-dwelling older adults in the age group of 61-86 years with 48 per cent being male. They underwent an experimental partial sleep deprivation protocol over four nights, including adaptation, an uninterrupted night of sleep, partial sleep deprivation and another uninterrupted night of sleep (recovery).

Blood samples were obtained each morning to assess PBMC gene expression using Illumina HT-12 arrays. Results showed that one night of partial sleep deprivation activates gene expression patterns in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) consistent with increasing accumulation of damage that initiates cell cycle arrest and increases susceptibility to senescence.