Lack of sleep may not only cause headaches, but also shrink your brain.

Sleep deprivation is a very common trigger of migraine and tension-type headaches. Scientists have always wondered about the purpose of sleep. We know that sleep helps strengthen our memories. New research suggests that sleep is also needed for other housekeeping chores, such as cleaning junk out of our brains. Literally, the brain rids itself of damaged proteins during sleep. It appears that poor sleep quality leads to accumulation of these proteins, which can lead to a higher risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

Another recent study showed that people with insomnia tended to have smaller brain volume in certain regions of the brain, particularly frontal lobes.

Other research showed that a variety of psychiatric illnesses also lead to a reduced brain volume. The frontal lobes are necessary for planning our actions, mood, and affect.

Veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) frequently complain about sleep difficulties and have documented high rates of sleep disorders

In the latest study, the researchers scanned the brains of 144 veterans using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

The participants with poor sleep quality had less frontal lobe gray matter than vets who reported sleeping well.

These veteran had other psychological disorders, in addition to the sleep disorder. Half of them abused alcohol, 40 percent had depression and 18 percent had PTSD.

The connection between sleep disorders and the brain volume was not affected by psychiatric medications.

The researchers speculated that these findings are not necessarily limited to veterans. However, they were careful to stress that their findings do not prove that there is a cause and effect relationship between sleep quality and brain volume. It is possible that something else is causing both sleep problems and shrinkage of the brain or that shrinking of the brain causes sleep disturbances and not the other way around.

What is indisputable is that we all need good night’s sleep to function normally, avoid headaches, accidents, and be happy. Most people need 7 hours of sleep, but there are some who need only 5 or 6 and others, 8 to 9 hours. A very small percentage of people function perfectly well with 3 or 4 hours of sleep. On the other hand, some people do not feel rested no matter how long they sleep. Those usually suffer from a sleep disorder, such as sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome, narcolepsy, and other. The diagnosis is made through a sleep study. Treating the underlying sleep disorder often leads to a dramatic improvement in the quality of life, including an improvement in migraine and tension-type headaches.