More sleep and a drop of wine can help prevent dementia

♦ The brain has an internal drain that needs to be kept clear to prevent diseases such as Alzheimer’s, scientists believe.

Researchers at University College London have discovered a combination of sleep, exercise and a small amount of alcohol helps to stimulate the “brain drain”, preventing a build-up of plaques that drive dementia.

Studies on mice showed that the combination boosts the brain’s self-cleaning, or glymphatic, system, which clears out amyloid protein that clumps together, preventing communication between brain cells.

Dr Ian Harrison, from the university, told the Cheltenham Science Festival that studies showed the system was 60 per cent more active at night, proving that sleep was crucial.

“If that is anything to go by, we should sleep a lot more than do,” he said, adding that studies also showed low doses – a third of a unit a day – of alcohol stimulated up to 40 per cent more self-cleaning ability.