25 Jul Sleep Apnoea: The Silent Risk Factor for Brain Decline
Sleep apnoea is more than just a nighttime nuisance; it’s a serious health condition that can significantly increase the risk of developing mostly untreatable neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Sleep apnoea is characterized by repeated interruptions in breathing during sleep, which leads to reduced oxygen levels and fragmented sleep, both of which can have detrimental effects on brain health.
How OSA relates to Neurodegeneration
Recent studies have highlighted the strong association between sleep apnoea and cognitive decline. For instance, a comprehensive meta-analysis of 11 studies found that patients with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) have an increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and Lewy-Body Dementia. This means people with OSA may experience memory problems, trouble concentrating, and faster cognitive decline.
The frequent breathing obstruction seen in OSA causes large drops in blood oxygen levels; this means significantly less oxygen feeding the neurons in your brain, leading to increased oxidative stress and inflammation of the brain. Moreover, an important function of consolidated sleep is to clear these harmful proteins from the brain, meaning OSA-linked sleep interruptions impairs the brain’s ability to clear the toxic proteins. These damaging processes can accelerate the accumulation of harmful proteins that cause widescale neuron death and exacerbate cognitive decline.
Who is at Risk?
Not all people with OSA will end up with neurodegenerative diseases – some are more predisposed. Age and obesity are the biggest risk factors for OSA, where those most at risk are older than 40 and have a Body Mass Index greater than 30.
A Health and Retirement Study also found that women with sleep apnea had a 4.7% higher incidence of dementia compared to men, suggesting that post-menopausal hormonal changes that disrupt sleep quality can increase women’s risk of developing neurodegenerative disorders.
Importance of Diagnosis and Treatment
By the time you start showing symptoms of cognitive decline, treatment is most likely too late. Therefore, it’s crucial to recognize and seek medical evaluation for the signs of the far more treatable sleep apnoea, such as loud snoring, choking during sleep, and excessive daytime fatigue. Treatment options like continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy can help manage sleep apnoea and slow cognitive decline before you lose your mind.
Sources:
Guay-Gagnon, M., Vat, S., Forget, M. F., Tremblay-Gravel, M., Ducharme, S., Nguyen, Q. D., & Desmarais, P. (2022). Sleep apnea and the risk of dementia: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of sleep research, 31(5), e13589. https://doi.org/10.1111/jsr.13589
Beam CR, Kaneshiro C, Jang JY, Reynolds CA, Pedersen NL, Gatz M. Differences Between Women and Men in Incidence Rates of Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease. Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. 2018;64(4):1077-1083. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.3233/JAD-180141
Mitra, A. K., Bhuiyan, A. R., & Jones, E. A. (2021). Association and Risk Factors for Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Cardiovascular Diseases: A Systematic Review. Diseases (Basel, Switzerland), 9(4), 88. https://doi.org/10.3390/diseases9040088
Gambino, F., Zammuto, M. M., Virzì, A., Conti, G., & Bonsignore, M. R. (2022). Treatment options in obstructive sleep apnea. Internal and emergency medicine, 17(4), 971–978. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11739-022-02983-1