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Experts Warn of Sleep Crisis Impacting Brain Health and Development

New findings highlight the role of deep sleep in brain waste clearance and the cognitive risks of adolescent sleep deprivation linked to evening screen use.

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Overview

  • Research from the University of Copenhagen reveals that deep sleep facilitates brain toxin clearance via noradrenaline-driven vessel contractions.
  • Chronic insomnia affects 12 million Italians, with 80% experiencing persistent symptoms a year after diagnosis, and is linked to cardiometabolic and mental health risks.
  • A Cambridge-Fudan study of over 3,200 adolescents shows that late bedtimes and insufficient sleep weaken brain connectivity, reduce brain volume, and lower cognitive performance.
  • Neuropsychiatry experts emphasize limiting evening smartphone and social media use to improve sleep hygiene and safeguard adolescent brain development.
  • Global surveys report a 'sleep crisis,' with one-third of people sleeping irregularly fewer than four nights weekly, and adolescents averaging two hours less sleep than recommended.