At some point in life, almost every person does not get enough sleep.

When we work from early morning until late at night, a short period of sleep may not be enough to completely restore the muscles, nerve cells, hormonal regulation and metabolism.

According to a new study published in the journal Neurology, lack of sleep can be associated with a decrease in the volume of the brain.

A recent study showed that lack of sleep accelerates the aging of the brain in the elderly. The authors of the work, which published disturbing results in the magazine Sleep, say that every missing hour of sleep eventually leads to a marked acceleration of the expansion of the ventricles of the brain (in fact, degeneration) and a decrease in general cognitive abilities.

According to the National Sleep Foundation of the United States, lack of sleep can reduce productivity and affect the ability of an employee to remember and consolidate new information.

Lack of sleep is associated with the following risks:.

• Increase in body mass index (BMI).

• Increased risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

• Increased risk of mental illness, depression and alcoholism.

• Reduced attention and ability to respond to danger signals.

Bad sleep can cause organic changes in the brain.

To further study the relationship between the deficiency of sleep and brain volume, researchers selected 147 volunteers aged 20 to 84 years. At intervals of 3.5 years, the researchers conducted all volunteers for MRI of the brain, and also asked to fill in questionnaires, where they reported on the quality of sleep.

Scientists took into account how long the participants sleep, how long they sleep in the evening, whether they use sleeping pills and t. In general, 35% of participants fell into the category with "poor quality of sleep", gaining an average of 8.5 points out of 21.

The results of the analysis showed that in people who have problems with sleeping, there is an accelerated decrease in the volume of the brain in several zones, including the frontal and temporal. The effect becomes most obvious after 60 years.

Commenting on the findings, the author of the analysis, Claire Sexton of Oxford University, said: "It is not yet known whether a bad dream is the immediate cause of such changes in the brain. There are effective ways to treat sleep disorders. Future research should test the causal relationship between lack of sleep and a decrease in brain volume. If there is a connection, improving sleep hygiene and treating insomnia is all that is needed ".

The National Sleep Foundation of the US gives several practical tips for improving the quality of sleep:.

• Set a clear and constant sleep and wakefulness regime.

• Develop a regular relaxing exercise before bed (bath, for example).

• Create in your bedroom a dark, quiet and comfortable to sleep atmosphere.

• The bedroom should be a place only for sleeping and sex, but not for TV and computer.

• Sleep on a comfortable mattress and pillow.

• Practice physical exercises.

• Avoid alcohol and caffeine at night.

• Walk in the air before bedtime In an interview with Medical News Today, Sexton said her team "would like to explore in the future how improving sleep (for example, cognitive behavioral therapy and medications) affects the rate of reduction in the volume of certain areas of the brain". She adds that this will help scientists create optimal therapy schemes that prevent premature aging of the brain and increase cognitive performance in millions of people.

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