Ageing research reviewsMay 12, 2012

Two-Way Links Between Sleep, Body Clock, and Alzheimer's Disease: The Roles of Wakefulness and Sleep Hormones

Circadian Biology Weekly Brief ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗

Updated Apr 2, 2026

Abstract

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is associated with sleep and circadian disturbances that negatively impact quality of life.

AD pathology disrupts sleep and circadian rhythms.
Impairments in sleep regulating systems may link to clinical symptoms in AD.
Neurotransmitters like melatonin and hypocretin could influence AD pathophysiology.
Lack of sleep and circadian rhythm deterioration may play a role in the onset of AD.

Simplified

AD, sleep and circadian rhythm physiology display an intricate relationship. On the one hand, AD pathology leads to sleep and circadian disturbances, with a clear negative influence on quality of life. On the other hand, there is increasing evidence that both sleep and circadian regulating systems exert an influence on AD pathology. In this review we describe the impairments of both sleep regulating systems and circadian rhythms in AD and their link to clinical symptoms, as this may increase knowledge on appropriate diagnosis and adequate treatment of sleep problems in AD. Furthermore we discuss how sleep regulating systems, and especially neurotransmitters such as melatonin and hypocretin, may affect AD pathophysiology, as this may provide a role for lack of sleep and circadian rhythm deterioration in the onset of AD.

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Two-Way Links Between Sleep, Body Clock, and Alzheimer's Disease: The Roles of Wakefulness and Sleep Hormones

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