Researchers report that people who snore may have poorer brain health and are more likely to develop Alzheimer’s and strokes.
According to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, people with sleep apnea, which causes loud snoring, are more likely to have vital signs associated with these health conditions.
And every 10% reduction in deep sleep changes people’s brains and increases white matter, as if they were about 2.3 years older.
There is growing evidence that lack of deep sleep increases the risk of Alzheimer’s disease due to the accumulation of toxins that would otherwise be removed.
These signs included white matter abnormalities that put pressure on nerve cells in the brain and increased their energy requirements.
Neurons unable to meet the demands will die, resulting in a reduction in brain size.
The study included 140 participants with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, whose average age was 73 years. They each underwent brain scans and spent the night in the sleep lab.
None of the participants had cognitive problems at the start of the study or dementia by the end of the study.
In total, 34% had mild sleep apnea, 32% had moderate sleep apnea, and 34% had severe sleep apnea.
Symptoms of sleep apnea include respiratory arrest, shortness of breath, choking, and movement at night, which means patients sleep less deeply, which the brain needs to get rid of potentially harmful waste.
One sign is small lesions that show up on brain scans, known as white matter hyperintensities, which become more common with age or uncontrolled high blood pressure.
“These biomarkers are sensitive markers of early cerebral vascular disease,” said Dr. Diego Carvalho of the Mayo Clinic. important because it is not “there is a cure for these changes in the brain, so we need to find ways to prevent them from occurring or worsening. More research is needed to determine whether sleep problems affect brain biomarkers or vice versa.”
“We also need to see if strategies to improve sleep quality or treat sleep apnea can affect the course of these biomarkers.”
The sleep study looked at how long people spend in deep sleep, which is considered one of the best indicators of sleep quality.
The study was published in the journal Neurology.
Source: Daily Mail
