Most people with untreated sleep apnea develop heart disease, which researchers speculate may also lead to cognitive problems. But a small new study finds that obstructive sleep apnea itself harms the brain, creating a new urgent need to recognize and treat the disorder.
A study published Thursday in Frontiers in Sleep found that an otherwise healthy middle-aged man with newly diagnosed obstructive sleep apnea improved his judgment, impulse control, and perception of others’ emotions. In the field, mental function was impaired compared to men who were not.
obstructive sleep apnea, the most common form, occurs when the muscles of the throat are relaxed and the airways are blocked. Another type is central sleep apnea. This happens when the brain doesn’t send the proper signals to the muscles that control breathing. Both types temporarily wake you up because you need oxygen.
For the new study, researchers recruited 27 men aged 35 to 70 who were not overweight and had a new diagnosis of mild to severe obstructive sleep apnea. , also included seven men with the same educational background and without sleep apnea. Both groups underwent a battery of tests. Men with obstructive sleep apnea had increased cognitive impairment with increasing severity.
is estimated to be 26% of US adults According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, people between the ages of 30 and 70 have sleep apnea. It may be because the condition is so widely underestimated, experts say. It’s usually thought to affect men more than women.
Sleep apnea is linked to memory and thinking problems, but a new study finds cognition is affected even when men have no underlying medical conditions, highlighting how important it is to treat it early. is emphasized. A neuropsychiatrist who heads the Kings College London Center for Sleep and Brain Plasticity said in an email:
“Most of our patients were unaware of their cognitive impairment,” Rosenzweig said. added.
The new study is small, and Rosenzweig hopes the researchers will do larger studies that include women.
Until menopause, women are much less likely to develop sleep disorders. But the prevalence in women increases dramatically with age and weight, she said Rosenzweig.
“After menopause, it pretty much evens out between men and women,” she said.
What causes sleep apnea?
It’s not clear why obstructive sleep apnea causes cognitive impairment, but scientists believe that short but frequent awakenings can fragment sleep and cause periods of temporary cessation of breathing. We believe that this will lead to a temporary drop in intermediate oxygen levels.
Risk factors for obstructive sleep apnea include:
Many people don’t know they have sleep apnea, Rosenzweig said. They usually only seek help when their partner says they have a problem such as snoring.
“There may be clues such as morning headaches and increased sleepiness and fatigue during the day,” she said.
Sleep apnea can be worse for your health than insomnia because it can make it harder for your brain to fall into deep sleep, says behavioral neurologist and researcher at NYU Langone Health, New York. said Joel Salinas, Ph.D., Chief Medical Officer, Isaac Health. .
the brain circulates different stages of sleepincluding light and deep sleep, rapid eye movements, or REM sleep when dreaming.
Deep sleep, also known as stage 3 sleep, is when memories are stored and the brain clears out proteins that could cause damage over time, said Salinas, who was not involved in the new research. .
“People with obstructive sleep apnea don’t spend a lot of time in stage 3, wake up in stage 2, and go back to stage 1 again,” he said.
“Over time, these people may have higher accumulations of proteins such as amyloid, which may increase their risk of cognitive impairment and dementia.
sleep apnea therapy
Doctors use many strategies treat sleep apneaDr. Andrew Varga, neuroscientist and physician at the Mount Sinai Integrative Sleep Center and associate professor at the Icahn School of Medicine in Mount Sinai, New York, said: Varga is not involved in the new research.
The most common is a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device that keeps the airway open while you sleep.
There are also mandibular advancement devices that hold the mandible forward to keep the airway open. “They are his second most popular method,” says Varga.
There are also surgeries that change the structure of the throat. It can be as minimally invasive as removing the uvula, the fleshy structure hanging over the throat, and part of the soft palate, the muscular part of the palate.
Some patients rely on implanted pacemaker-like devices that direct the nerves in the tongue to push the tongue forward. At the more invasive end of the spectrum are jaw reconstructive surgeries. “The jaw is broken on both sides and pulled forward,” Varga said.
Brain studies show reduced activity in areas similar to those seen in people with the disorder neurodegenerative diseasesaid Salinas. That’s why it’s important to treat this type of sleep apnea early, he added.
He said lifestyle changes are a good place to start.
“It’s always important to address all potentially reversible problems, such as overweight and high blood pressure,” he said. The greater the impact, the more likely you are to maintain a healthy brain for the rest of your life.”
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