Alzheimer’s and Sleep Apnea?: Two Related Threats to Your Brain
As we get older, many face two different but related threats to our brains. On one hand, the chances of sleep apnea increase. Our risk of dementia or Alzheimers also increases. Unfortunately, if you have untreated apnea, your chances of Alzheimers increases. But there is a solution.
Apnea is a sleep-related breathing disorder that many older adults and overweight people suffer from. Most apnea victims are undiagnosed, thus their apnea is left untreated. Why does it effect brain function? Because the body and brain receives less oxygen while you are asleep.
Of course, Alzheimers is not the only risk that apnea presents. Apnea also increases you risk for high blood pressure, strokes, heart disease, and cognitive problems.
How do you treat apnea? The most common and safest therapy is CPAP (continual positive air pressure). CPAP provides a steady stream of pressurized air through a mask worn during sleep. This airflow keeps oxygen levels high and keeps the throat airway open, preventing the pauses in breathing that characterize apnea.
Does this treatment really help prevent Alzheimer’s? Recent medical research from a study conducted by Dr. Jana R. Cooke of UC San Diego followed 52 patients with both Alzheimer’s and sleep apnea. One group received CPAP therapy for six weeks and showed great improvements with cognitive abilities and tasks. The other group wore a placebo mask to bed without the improved benefits at the end of the study.
According to medical studies focused on treating the sleep apnea of patients with Alzheimer’s disease, the patients showed improvements in cognition related to the total amount of sleep from night to night.
Over the last few years, clinical studies suggest that treating sleep apnea helps increase oxygen levels to the brain. This additional oxygen can be helpful for some Alzheimers patients.
Other problems exist for older adults with sleep disorders:
1. Higher likelihood of depression and mood disorders.
3. Lack of concentration and poor memory.
3. Daytime drowsiness.
4. Increase risk of falling at night.
5. Addiction to pharmaceutical sleep aids (ironically, many of these sleeping pills worsen your apnea).