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Sleep is an important element of our daily routine that affects both our physical and mental wellbeing. While sleep was often thought to be a passive activity, recent research has demonstrated that even while the body is resting, the brain remains highly active.
According to a new study, those who get less deep sleep may be more likely to have a stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, or cognitive impairment. The new study was published in Neurology, the American Academy of Neurology’s medical magazine.
While the study does not establish that sleep apnea causes brain alterations, it does reveal a link.
Sleep apnea is a potentially dangerous sleep disease in which breathing stops and begins regularly. If you snore loudly and feel fatigued even after a full night’s sleep, you may be suffering from sleep apnea.
“These biomarkers are sensitive signs of early cerebrovascular disease,” study author Diego Z. Carvalho, Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and a member of the American Academy of Neurology, said of the brain biomarkers, which represent the health of white matter in the brain.
Dr. Carvalho noted that there is currently no cure for these brain alterations, so we must find strategies to prevent them from happening or getting worse.
The study included 140 adults with obstructive sleep apnea, with an average age of 73 years old. The subjects had no cognitive problems at the outset of the trial and had not developed dementia. A total of 34% had mild sleep apnea, 32% had moderate sleep apnea, and 34% had severe sleep apnea.
The study looked at how long people spend in the deep sleep period, which is thought to be the best indicator of sleep quality. People with severe sleep apnea were shown to have a larger volume of white matter hyperintensities than those with mild or moderate sleep apnea. They also exhibited lower axonal integrity, which is the strength of the connections between nerve cells in the brain.
White matter hypersensitivities are small lesions that can be seen on brain imaging. Sleep is a biomarker for the health of the brain’s white matter, which connects different sections of the brain.
The researchers took into account age, gender, and diseases that may increase the likelihood of brain alterations, such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
Source:IT
