SNORING LINKED TO ALZHEIMER’S
Sleeping problems put you at higher risk, say experts
SNORING can put people at greater risk of developing dementia, researchers have discovered.
Scientists found that those who suffer difficulties breathing during their sleep are at higher risk of brain function decline.
A study showed a link between Sleep-Disordered Breathing – involving loud snoring, noisy and laboured breathing or repeated short periods where breathing is interrupted by gasping or snorting – and cognitive decline.
Snorers who also carry a certain gene, known as APOE and which about a fifth of the population have, were more likely to be prone to developing Alzheimer’s disease.
Researcher Dr Dayna Johnson, of Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, in the US, said: “Individuals with SDB commonly report problems with cognition and may be at increased risk for dementia.
“SDB is associated with sleep fragmentation and cerebral vascular disease, which may
directly affect brain function and adversely affect cognition.
“Results demonstrate that there is strong evidence supporting the influence of SDB on attention, vigilance and memory.”
The study investigated the association using several indicators of sleep-disordered breathing and cognition.
SDB is very common in the elderly, particularly men and is characterised by repeated pauses in breathing during sleep. Apnoea is where the muscles and soft tissues in the throat relax and collapse sufficiently to cause a total blockage of the airway blocking it for 10 seconds or more.
Hypopnoea is a partial blockage of the airway that results in an airflow reduction of greater than 50 per cent for 10 seconds or more.
The study found an abnormally low concentration of oxygen in the blood overnight, known as hypoxemia, or increased daytime sleepiness was linked with poorer attention and memory.
Dr Johnson said overall the effects of the various sleep factors they measured on cognition were small, but in the range previously reported for several other lifestyle and health risk factors for dementia.
Impact
She said: “Cognitive impairment is highly prevalent among elderly populations and is associated with increased disability, neuropsychiatric symptoms and health care costs.
“Our results suggest that more severe overnight hypoxemia and sleepiness may be related to poorer cognitive function, especially attention, concentration, and process speed in middle-aged to older adults, and that the risk is greater among carriers of APOE, a known risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease.”
Dr Laura Phipps, of Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “We are seeing more research suggesting that sleep problems may have a long-term impact on memory so this study highlights the need for more research.
“Getting sufficient sleep is important for our general health but the evidence linking sleep and dementia risk is not yet clear cut.”
Dr James Pickett, head of research at Alzheimer’s Society, said: “This study suggests snoring is linked to dementia but snoring can have many causes. However if you are a snorer, you shouldn’t be alarmed.
“Researchers are increasingly finding associations between the early physical signs of Alzheimer’s disease and poor quality sleep.
“But we still don’t know whether poor sleep directly increases your risk of Alzheimer’s.
“As certain sleep disorders are treatable, the next stage is to test some of these treatments to understand whether they could be effective in reducing the risk of dementia.”
The findings were published in the journal Annals of the American Thoracic Society.