Sleep Pill Shows Short-Term Drop in Alzheimer's Proteins in Small Study

A small two-night, placebo-controlled study at a sleep clinic with 38 healthy adults aged 45–65 found that suvorexant reduced cerebrospinal fluid amyloid-beta by 10–20% and temporarily lowered some forms of tau, even though there were no sleep differences between groups. The results suggest a link between promoting sleep and Alzheimer's biomarkers, but researchers caution against using sleeping pills as a preventive strategy without longer, larger trials and acknowledge potential downsides of long-term use.