BITESIZE: How Sleep Affects Brain Metabolism and Alzheimer’s Risk

Stress can disrupt sleep quickly, and when poor sleep becomes a pattern, the effects can reach far beyond next-day fatigue.
For International Stress Awareness Week, we’re calling attention to the broader health effects of chronic stress, including the way disrupted sleep can affect cortisol, metabolism, and brain function.
In this video, Dr. Scher discusses the glymphatic system’s proposed role in clearing brain waste during sleep, including proteins associated with Alzheimer’s disease. He also explores possible links between disrupted sleep, stress hormones, and brain energy metabolism.
He covers:
• How the glymphatic system works during deep sleep
• Why healthy brain energy metabolism may be important for this overnight clearing process
• The connection between insulin resistance, cortisol, and fragmented sleep
• Why late-night eating may interfere with deep sleep
• How reducing refined carbohydrates in the evening may affect glucose stability and sleep
• Why nutritional ketosis is being studied as a supplemental fuel strategy
• How morning light helps set the circadian rhythm for sleep later that night
• Why protecting sleep may be important for long-term cognitive health

Dr. Scher explains why the quality of our sleep may have consequences that extend far beyond feeling tired the next day, especially as researchers continue to learn more about the relationship between sleep and brain metabolism.
🔎 Have questions about how to apply metabolic therapies effectively? Submit them at metabolicmind.org/questions to be featured in a future Metabolic Mailbag episode.
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Expert Featured:
Bret Scher, MD - Baszucki Group Medical Director & Host of the Metabolic Mind Podcast
• linkedin.com/in/bret-scher-08baaa102
• instagram.com/drscher858/?hl=en
• x.com/bschermd

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About us:
Metabolic Mind is a non-profit initiative of Baszucki Group working to transform the study and treatment of mental disorders by exploring the connection between metabolism and brain health. We leverage the science of metabolic psychiatry and personal stories to offer education, community, and hope to people struggling with mental health challenges and those who care for them.
Our channel is for informational purposes only. We are not providing individual or group medical or healthcare advice nor establishing a provider-patient relationship. Many of the interventions we discuss can have dramatic or potentially dangerous effects if done without proper supervision. Consult your healthcare provider before changing your lifestyle or medications.