Common sleep medication could help prevent Alzheimer’s, study finds

Alzheimer’s disease has long been one of medicine’s toughest puzzles. It gradually steals memory and cognitive function, leaving patients and families desperate for solutions. Despite decades of effort, no treatment has succeeded in stopping or reversing its relentless progression. But new research suggests that help may come from an unexpected place: a common prescription sleep aid.

A study published in the journal Annals of Neurology found that suvorexant, an FDA-approved drug used to treat insomnia, can temporarily lower the levels of proteins that are closely tied to Alzheimer’s disease. The results hint at a promising new direction in the search for therapies, while also underscoring the critical role sleep plays in protecting brain health.

Alzheimer’s doesn’t appear overnight. It begins silently, sometimes decades before memory problems surface. One of the earliest warning signs is disrupted sleep. Research has shown that poor sleep raises brain levels of amyloid-beta and tau proteins. Over time, these proteins clump into sticky plaques and tangles, which disrupt communication between neurons and eventually kill them.

Even a single night of restless sleep can cause amyloid-beta levels to rise. By contrast, deeper, restorative sleep helps the brain clear away these toxic proteins through a system that works like the body’s cleaning crew. This connection between sleep quality and brain health has convinced many scientists that improving sleep could delay, or even prevent, Alzheimer’s.

The challenge is that most sleeping pills don’t provide the deep, restorative sleep needed for this cleanup. Many simply help people fall asleep faster without extending the phases of sleep linked to protein clearance. That’s what makes suvorexant stand out.

Dr. Brendan Lucey and his colleagues at Washington University School of Medicine wanted to see if suvorexant could do more than help people doze off. The medication belongs to a newer class of sleep drugs called dual orexin receptor antagonists, or DORAs. Orexin is a chemical that keeps you awake, and blocking it encourages more natural, deeper sleep.

To test the drug, researchers recruited 38 healthy adults between the ages of 45 and 65. None had sleep disorders or signs of memory decline. Each participant spent two nights in a sleep clinic, receiving either suvorexant or a placebo. During the night, doctors collected samples of cerebrospinal fluid—the clear liquid surrounding the brain—every two hours. This fluid carries away waste, including amyloid-beta and tau proteins.

The results were striking. After just one dose of suvorexant, amyloid-beta levels dropped by 10% to 20% compared with placebo. When participants received a higher dose, about 20 milligrams—the amount usually prescribed for insomnia—levels of phosphorylated tau, the dangerous version of the protein that forms tangles, fell by 10% to 15%.

“This is a positive sign,” said Dr. Lucey, who directs the Sleep Medicine Center at Washington University. “If you can reduce tau phosphorylation, potentially there would be less tangle formation and less neuronal death.”

The effects, however, were short-lived. Within 24 hours, tau levels bounced back. Still, the idea that repeated nightly doses might keep protein levels consistently lower has researchers eager to study the long-term possibilities.

Despite the encouraging results, experts caution against viewing suvorexant as a quick fix. The study was small, short, and focused on healthy adults rather than older individuals at higher risk for Alzheimer’s. It also didn’t examine whether lowering protein levels translates to better memory or thinking skills down the road.

The Alzheimer’s field has faced disappointments before. Many experimental drugs have succeeded in reducing amyloid-beta in the brain but failed to improve patients’ symptoms. That history makes scientists wary of assuming too much from one early study.

Dr. Lucey himself stresses restraint. “It would be premature for people who are worried about developing Alzheimer’s to interpret it as a reason to start taking suvorexant every night,” he said. Larger studies lasting months or years are needed to confirm whether the drug can truly protect against cognitive decline.

While the study may spark curiosity, doctors advise against running to the pharmacy for suvorexant as a preventive measure. Sleep medications can carry risks when used long-term, including dependency and reduced effectiveness. In some cases, they may even harm sleep quality over time.

Instead, experts recommend focusing on healthy sleep habits. Keeping a regular sleep schedule, making your bedroom comfortable and quiet, and addressing issues like sleep apnea can go a long way toward supporting brain health. If sleep problems persist, a specialist can help identify the root cause.

Still, the findings highlight the powerful role sleep plays in protecting your mind. As Dr. Lucey put it, prioritizing good sleep “is a sensible approach to improving general brain health at any age.”

Suvorexant, sold under the brand name Belsomra, made history in 2014 when it became the first dual orexin receptor antagonist approved by the FDA. It was developed by Merck after years of research into orexin, a brain chemical that regulates wakefulness.

Unlike older sleep medications, which act on GABA pathways to promote sedation, suvorexant works by blocking orexin receptors OX₁ and OX₂. This quiets the brain’s “wake signals,” allowing sleep to unfold more naturally. Clinical trials showed the drug helped patients both fall asleep and stay asleep, with relatively mild side effects such as early drowsiness.

Since its approval, suvorexant has been studied not just for primary insomnia but also for sleep troubles tied to other conditions. The Alzheimer’s connection is the latest and perhaps most surprising addition to its list of potential uses.

If suvorexant or similar drugs prove effective in long-term studies, they could offer a new way to delay Alzheimer’s by targeting one of the disease’s earliest processes. Rather than waiting until memory loss sets in, doctors might be able to prescribe treatments that reduce protein buildup years before symptoms appear.

Beyond medication, the research reinforces the importance of good sleep for brain health in general. Encouraging better sleep hygiene could help millions lower their risk for Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. If confirmed, the link between sleep and protein clearance might also inspire new therapies designed specifically to enhance deep sleep and the brain’s nightly cleaning process.

Note: Always consult your doctor or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition, procedure, or treatment, whether it is a prescription medication, over-the-counter drug, vitamin, supplement, or herbal alternative.

Note: The article above provided above by The Brighter Side of News.

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