A part of the brain connected to memory shrank in people with severe sleep-disordered breathing — which can include heavy snoring and sleep apnea — according to a new study
. People with sleep apnea stop breathing for 10 seconds or more at a time multiple times a night. “It is more and more acknowledged that this sleep disorder, if untreated, will increase the risk of dementia.
The study group underwent brain scans, memory tests that were repeated at about 21 months, and an overnight sleep study done at their homes. Sleep testing showed 91 of the 122 study participants had moderate to severe sleep apnea, but most didn’t have many obvious symptoms — only 11 people experienced excessive daytime sleepiness. Twenty-six of the participants had amyloid plaques in their brain tissue.
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