a new study has found that obstructive sleep apnea can have a devastating effect on the cognitive abilities of otherwise healthy people.
although previous research has suggested a link between the two , the current study, published in the journal frontiers of sleep , found that osa can cause cognitive decline, even in the absence of the comorbidities thought to contribute to the disorder. around 5.4 million canadians have either been diagnosed with sleep apnea or are considered to be at high risk.
osa occurs when the upper airways become blocked , often because the soft tissue at the back of the throat collapses and obstructs the flow of oxygen to the lungs. many of the symptoms of the disorder are felt the next day, including a morning headache, fatigue, irritability or mood changes, poor concentration, memory loss or a lowered sex drive. people who are overweight or have obesity, drink or smoke heavily or who have diabetes face the greatest risk of diagnosis.
“we show poorer executive functioning and visuospatial memory and deficits in vigilance, sustained attention and psychomotor and impulse control in men with osa,” said ivana rosenzweig , lead author of the study and a neuropsychiatrist who heads the sleep and brain plasticity centre at king’s college london. “most of these deficits had previously been ascribed to comorbidities.
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dave yasvinski is a writer with healthing.ca