Neuropsychiatrists at King’s College London have found that obstructive sleep apnea is the cause of cognitive decline. The results of the research scientists, published In Frontiers in Sleep magazine.
Apnea is a term that combines different disorders in which a person stops breathing for 10 seconds or more during sleep. Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when the soft tissues of the upper airway collapse, that is, the airway lumen is narrowed due to relaxation of the muscles of the tongue or palate, and the flow of inhaled air is blocked. Often this type of sleep apnea leads to headaches, disturbed sleep, loud snoring, heart disease, and other health problems.
Twenty-seven men diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea and without comorbidities were included in the study. Another 7 men without this diagnosis were invited as a control group. Cognitive testing was administered to all participants. The results showed that men with sleep apnea scored lower on attention, memory, and other cognitive measures. Also, the more severe the disease, the worse the consequences.
“The volunteers had no additional disease. This suggests that cognitive decline is only associated with sleep apnea. We hypothesize that this is due to the altered blood flow to the brain during sleep apnea. It’s also linked to inflammation in the brain and, of course, disrupted sleep. Problems with the quality and quantity of sleep have long been associated with a higher risk of developing cognitive problems.