Sleep Apnea Linked to Early Onset of Alzheimer's and Dementia

A new study has shown that older people with disruptive sleep problems like apnea have earlier onset of cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease.

The findings of the recent study were based on data sourced from another long-term Alzheimer's study. It found that sleep disturbance caused cognitive impairment 11 years earlier at 72 instead of 83. Sleep disturbance problems were either self-reported or family reported.

While a strong cause and effect was not explained by the study, it theorized that disturbance of oxygen supply could be causing impairment. Sleep apnea also lowers sleep quality, which may bring on cognitive impairment, as good quality sleep is said to be restorative for the brain and body. Studies in the past have linked sleep apnea to cardiovascular problems. The study also found that Alzheimer's disease caused dementia occurred in such people at 83 years and not at 88 years.

However the study offered some hope. People who used CPAP devices to improve air circulation can delay onset.

"Consistent with our hypothesis, the presence of sleep disordered breathing was associated with an earlier age at cognitive decline. Our findings in CPAP+ participants suggest that CPAP treatment of SDB may delay progression of cognitive impairment," researchers wrote in the journal Neurology.