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Sleep Apnea & Memory Loss
Sleep apnea is a common problem, which affects as many as 53% of men and 26% of women.
The word apnea is a Greek word that means "want of breath". Sleep apnea is the inability to breathe properly during sleep, or the restriction or limitation of breathing, during sleep. Sleep apnea can have serious health consequences.
Central apnea refers to an inability to properly pull air in. Obstructive apnea refers to a frequent collapse of the airway during sleep, which can interfere with breathing for periods that can last for several seconds at a time. Mixed apnea is a combination of both.
Snoring is a related problem, caused by a restriction of a breathing airway, stemming from either your throat or nasal passageway. Snoring occurs due to the vibrations of these body parts as the air struggles to get by your soft palate, uvula, tongue, tonsils and/or muscles in the back of your throat.
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Not only do these breathing disruptions interfere with sleep, leaving you unusually tired the next day, it also reduces the amount of oxygen in your blood, which can impair the function of internal organs and/or aggravate other health conditions that you may already have.
Sleep Apnea May Hasten Memory Loss and Alzheimer's:
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A study that has been published in the journal Neurology, found that patients with sleep apnea and/or snoring, were diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment more than a decade earlier than individuals without those conditions.
On average, those with untreated obstructed sleep apnea started experiencing cognitive impairment at the age of 77, compared to 90 among those without breathing problems.
Those who used a CPAP machine to address their sleep apnea started declining mentally at the same age as those who did not have sleep apnea.
Onset of Alzheimer's disease was also more rapid among those with untreated sleep apnea. On average, they were diagnosed about five years earlier than those slept well.
Reduced oxygen levels and the lack of quality sleep may both hasten cognitive decline.
Quality sleep also improves detoxification. Toxins accumulating, could also accelerate the onset of Alzheimer's disease. Your brain's waste removal system, known as the glymphatic system, only functions during sleep.
The glymphatic system allows your brain to clear out toxins, including harmful proteins called amyloid-beta, the buildup of which has been linked to Alzheimer's. Without proper sleep, harmful waste begins to accumulate in your brain.
Helpful Tools:
1. Measure your snoring with an iPhone app:
2. Record the sounds of you sleeping using Audacity, a free software program available online:
3. Measure your blood oxygen saturation levels and your pulse with an pulse-oximeter. If you have sleep apnea, you're going to have a drop in your blood oxygen saturation levels and an increase in your pulse:
If you suspect you may be suffering from sleep apnea, your next step would be find a sleep specialist.
A CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) machine may be ordered for you. A CPAP machine mechanically opens up your airway using air pressure, so that you can breathe more freely.
This can provide symptomatic relief, but it doesn't address the root cause of the sleep apnea. You are just putting a Band-Aid on the problem.
A CPAP machine must be cleaned and maintained. You also have to take it with you if you travel. If you travel abroad, you must deal with varying electrical currents in different counties. It also takes some getting used to. Some people are also disturbed by the sound of the machine.
A CPAP machine if often a good start, but determining and correcting the cause of the sleep apnea at the foundational level is ideal.
Obesity can be a significant contributing factor, but it's not the only one. An increasingly common root cause today is related to the shape and size of your mouth, and the positioning of your tongue. Diet is also important.
According to Dr. Arthur Strauss, a dental physician and a diplomat of the American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine, our mouths have progressively gotten smaller through the generations due to lack of breastfeeding and poor nutrition. Breastfeeding actually helps expand the size of your child's palate and helps move the jaw further forward two factors that help prevent sleep apnea by creating more room for breathing.
That information is another great reason to breastfeed babies, but for adults that were never breastfed, this information offers no help.
If your sleep apnea is related to your tongue or jaw position, specialty trained dentists can design a custom oral appliance to address the issue. These include mandibular repositioning devices, designed to shift your jaw forward. Others help hold your tongue forward without moving your jaw.
The oral appliance approach has been recognized as part of the standard of care for sleep apnea since about 1995. Oral appliances are now typically recommended as the first line treatment for mild to moderate sleep apnea.
One source where you can find a treatment specialist familiar with oral appliances is the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine:
Myofunctional Therapy & Sleep Apnea:Relief may also be found in the form of oral myofunctional therapy, which is a form of facial muscle therapy that helps "reshape" your oral cavity and promotes proper placement of your tongue.
Oral myofunctional therapy teaches you to breathe through your nose, resting your tongue against the roof of your mouth.
Grinding and clenching your teeth is one common sign indicating you may have a sleep disorder and/or need to retrain your orofacial muscles. Teeth grinding specifically is an indication of an upper airway obstruction.
To find a qualified therapist, see the Academy of Orofacial Myofuctional therapy (AOMT) website:
http://myofunctional-therapist...
Learning to Breathe Properly While Awake:The Buteyko Breathing Method was named after the Russian physician who developed the technique. This is another powerful approach for reversing health problems associated with improper breathing, including sleep apnea.
By learning to consistently breathe through your nose rather than your mouth, your breathing volume will be brought back to normal. This will allow for optimal oxygenation of your tissues and organs, including your brain. This also helps with asthmatics.
The Buteyko Breathing Method can be learned on your own, through DVDs and through reading books. You can also work with a Buteyko Breathing Method practitioner. Information is available on these options at: http://www.buteyko.com