These breathing pauses can prevent your body from supplying enough oxygen to the brain. In severe cases this lack of oxygen can lead to brain damage. Signs of this damage include memory problems, difficulty concentrating, and moodiness. The new study involved 17 men with severe, untreated sleep apnea.
Beyond memory problems, sleep apnea can also cause physical, measurable brain damage by starving your brain of oxygen. A recent study published in Sleep Journal found significant reductions in gray matter in certain areas of the brains of sleep apnea patients.
Among the brain areas affected by sleep-disordered breathing are sites within the insula, anterior cingulate, and medial frontal cortices, hippocampus, fornix, mammillary bodies, amygdala and cerebellum.
The good news is that studies show that treatment for sleep apnea can reverse the changes in the brain. Researchers have demonstrated that after a year of consistent treatment for sleep apnea, there is reversal of the changes to the brain.
Along with causing fatigue, irritability, and difficulty focusing, sleep apnea impacts brain function, changing the structures and chemicals of the brain. This affects your daily life, making it harder to perform daily tasks, creating difficulty in thinking, and leading to memory problems.
Studies show that patients who develop sleep apnea before the age of fifty have a life expectancy between 8 and 18 years. Fortunately lifestyle changes, treatment, and other interventions can improve the life expectancy of someone with sleep apnea.
The standard gold treatment for OSA is represented by continuous positive air pressure (CPAP), which prevents upper airway collapse during sleep. Some studies from the literature reported a positive effect on depressive and anxiety symptoms, while others showed inconstant findings [13,14].
While there is no cure for sleep apnea, studies show that certain lifestyle factors can reverse or make your sleep apnea less intense. Other treatment or surgical options can also reverse the condition.
And, over the course of one year, CPAP therapy helped to reverse visible damage to the brain and significantly improve nearly all the symptoms related to cognitive ability and mood.
"If you're born with a high IQ say 180 and you lose 8 to 10 points, which is about the extent of IQ loss that sleep apnea will induce on average, that may never become apparent.
In adults, the most common cause of obstructive sleep apnea is excess weight and obesity, which is associated with the soft tissue of the mouth and throat.
MRIs can detect brain tissue damage in adults with early OSA. The idea is that machine learning may be able to diagnose OSA from the damage shown in the images.
Results show that participants with severe, untreated sleep apnea had a significant reduction in white matter fiber integrity in multiple brain areas. This brain damage was accompanied by impairments to cognition, mood and daytime alertness.
There are serious potential consequences to undiagnosed or untreated sleep apnea. Besides making sleep difficult, it can lead to high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, diabetes and result in early death.
People with central sleep apnea often have severe fatigue, daytime drowsiness and irritability. You might have difficulty concentrating and find yourself falling asleep at work, while watching television or even while driving. Cardiovascular problems.
May 11, 2023 – People with sleep apnea who spend less time in deep sleep are more likely to have brain health problems that could lead to dementia, Alzheimer's disease, or a stroke, a new study shows.
People who use CPAP machines may experience dry mouth or dry eyes as a result of mask leaks. Mask leaks can occur when air enters through the nose and exits through the mouth. CPAP users who cannot close their mouths against the equipment or who breathe through their mouths while sleeping may experience dry mouth.
A person with sleep apnea is likely to experience daytime sleepiness and brain fog. This is hardly surprising when you consider that the brain is not receiving enough oxygen during the night and the person is not getting enough quality sleep.
There is good news. Upper airway stimulation therapy using a hypoglossal nerve stimulator is an option for people who are unable to tolerate their CPAPs. It's been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea.
“The Oral Agent AD109 Improves Objective and Subjective Outcomes in Obstructive Sleep Apnea Patients. Results From the Mariposa Study, a Randomized, Controlled Clinical Trial,” American Thoracic Society.
Using Your CPAP Device Consistently May Slow Memory Loss. Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) refers to having problems with your memory and decision-making abilities. Usually, people with MCI experience few if any problems with performing their daily activities.
Long-term CPAP problems
Using a CPAP machine every night can lead to having a constant dry or runny nose, feeling congested all the time, and even weakened throat muscles.