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Title: Sleepless Nights May Put The Aging Brain At Risk Of Dementia Author: Patti Neighmond Date Published: August 27, 2012 Why Relevant and Summary: As we age, our body's sleep cycle naturally changes. As teenagers our body's clock (influences by internal temperature) induces sleep from about midnight to late morning, while as adults our body's clock induces sleep from about 8pm to 4am; therefore our body's needs change as we age. Plus, 40% of older adults suffer from sleep problems such as insomnia. The lack of deep sleep, and specifically of REM sleep, is connected to memory loss and can lead to dementia. This is relevant in our develop as humans in that awareness of our sleep habits and patterns have more of an effect on us that just a temporary sleepiness the next day, but in the long run it can effect our ability to have better memory as we age. Credibility of Source: The article comes from NPR's Health Blog. There is also a sound recording of the article with clips from the author on the webpage. The autor is Psychiatrist Kristine Yaffe of the University of California, San Francisco. Very credible.