A recent study from researchers at the University of California San Diego indicates that poor sleep may be both an early warning sign and a potential target for intervention in Alzheimer's disease among older women. The research found that older women with a higher genetic risk for Alzheimer’s who reported poorer sleep showed worse memory performance and greater accumulation of tau protein, which is associated with the disease.
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The study involved 69 women aged 65 and older participating in the Women Inflammation Tau Study. Participants completed questionnaires about their sleep quality, underwent memory tests, and received brain scans to measure tau levels in areas of the brain typically affected by Alzheimer’s.
Results revealed that poorer self-reported sleep correlated with worse visual memory performance and increased tau accumulation, but this was specific to women with elevated genetic risk. No similar relationship was observed in women with lower genetic risk, and the study specifically noted that the effects were tied to visual memory rather than verbal memory.
Researchers emphasize that these findings contribute to the growing body of evidence suggesting a bidirectional relationship between sleep disturbances and Alzheimer’s disease. Previous studies have indicated that disrupted sleep might lead to tau buildup while Alzheimer’s-related changes can worsen sleep quality. Given that women represent nearly two-thirds of Alzheimer’s cases and often report poorer sleep than men, the study underscores the importance of sleep as a modifiable risk factor in this population.
Self-reported sleep assessments are noted to be cost-effective and easy to administer, suggesting that sleep complaints may aid in identifying individuals who could benefit from early intervention or monitoring. The authors propose that enhancing sleep could be a strategic focus for Alzheimer’s prevention efforts, especially for women with heightened genetic risk. The findings signal the need to take sleep issues seriously in older women as they relate to brain health.
The study, titled "Sleep complaints and genetic risk of Alzheimer’s disease in older women: associations with memory and tau deposition," was led by Kitty Lui, a joint doctoral student in clinical psychology, and Sarah Banks, PhD, professor of neuroscience and psychiatry at UC San Diego School of Medicine. It was published on May 6, 2026, in the Journal of Prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease.