In an article about sleep tips, movie star Chuck Norris - who authors a syndicated health column on fitness - cited research by Barbara Bendlin, PhD, associate professor, Geriatrics and Gerontology. 

The column urged readers to focus on healthy sleep habits, as studies have linked poor sleep to a growing number of conditions and diseases including Alzheimer's disease. 

Research led by Dr. Bendlin has investigated the relationship between sleep quality and biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease pathology in cognitively normal, late middle-aged adults. 

In July, 2017, Dr. Bendlin's group published a study of 101 people with a family history of Alzheimer's disease. The study found that poor sleep was associated with early indicators of Alzheimer's disease in the brain,  including amyloid plaque and tau protein levels, as well as markers of inflammation and brain-cell injury. 

Resources:

• "Health Tips You Need To Sleep On," Creators Syndicate, September 1, 2017
• Sprecher KE, Koscik RL, Carlsson CM, Zetterberg H, Blennow K, Okonkwo OC, Sager MA, Asthana S, Johnson SC, Benca RM, Bendlin BB. 2017. Poor sleep is associated with CSF biomarkers of amyloid pathology in cognitively normal adults. Neurology. 89(5):445-453.
• "Poor Sleep Linked to Multiple Brain Changes Associated with Alzheimer's Disease," UW School of Medicine and Public Health, July 5, 2017