By Kevin Woo | Alzheimer’s Speaks 

What time are you going to bed tonight? The answer probably will depend on a number of things you have to do before bedtime: clean up around the house, answer some emails, or maybe prepare for that big meeting in the morning.

By the time you help the kids with their homework and get them settled for the evening, yours might just be getting started.

Researchers at the Washington School of Medicine say that lack of sleep might be tied to Alzheimer’s disease.

A recent study monitored 100 people, ages 45-80, and discovered that those who woke up several times through the night were more likely to have amyloid plaque accumulations on their brains.

Dr. Yo-El Ju, a Washington University neurologist, said,”We were initially looking at duration of sleep, but it seems the quality of sleep is more important to this association.  We don’t know if early Alzheimer’s is causing poor sleep or vice versa. It’s possible that there’s some change in brain activity going on during sleep that allows soluble amyloid to decrease overnight.”

Now, what time are you going to bed tonight?