Sleep Apnea Linked to Alzheimers
Sleep apnea is becoming increasingly common as people become overweight. Now, scientists have found that it's another reversible cause of mental decline.
Researchers from the University of California, San Francisco, conducted a five-year study of nearly 300 women 65 and older. They found that those with sleep apnea were on average 2.3 times more likely to develop either mild cognitive impairment (the stage of mental decline before dementia) or dementia.
Clues suggesting sleep apnea is present include:
- Falling asleep easily during the day (especially while driving).
- Snoring.
- Being overweight (and a collar size of 17 or higher in men).
- Hypertension.
Physicians can order a simple sleep study to make the diagnosis — and sleep apnea is very addressable.
References
"Sleep Apnea Tied to Worse Cognition," MedPage Today, Sep 6, 2011
Jacob Teitelbaum, M.D. is one of the world's leading integrative medical authorities on fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue. He is the lead author of eight research studies on their effective treatments, and has published numerous health & wellness books, including the bestseller on fibromyalgia From Fatigued to Fantastic! and The Fatigue and Fibromyalgia Solution. Dr. Teitelbaum is one of the most frequently quoted fibromyalgia experts in the world and appears often as a guest on news and talk shows nationwide including Good Morning America, The Dr. Oz Show, Oprah & Friends, CNN, and Fox News Health.
