Several recent sleep medicine studies demonstrate poor sleep and sleep disorders are significant risk factors for dementia and Alzheimer's.
Sleep Disorders, Sleep Apnea, and Your Brain
MRI's of brain volume and cognitive assessment tests demonstrated brain shrinkage and brain damage is far more likely when a person had a sleep disorder like sleep apnea that fragmented their sleep architecture. Studies from Duke Graduate Medical School and the University of California San Francisco showed brain aging and cognitive decline both accelerated when an untreated sleep disorder was present. In a study of nearly 200,000 U.S. Veterans, sleep disorder patients were 30% more likely to develop dementia than those who received adequate, sufficient restorative sleep.
“I would say that this another important study showing this link between sleep and subsequent diagnosis of dementia,” Kristine Yaffe, a psychiatry professor at UCSF who heads its Dementia Epidemiology Research Group, said in a telephone interview. She said her study’s findings benefited from having such a large sample of participants: researchers used eight years of records on 200,000 veterans, most of whom were male and 55 or older.
Sleep Testing for Cognitive Health and Protection
If you want to be screened for sleep disorders, or if you are concerned whether you are getting sufficient restorative sleep, we recommend an in-lab sleep study with an American Academy of Sleep Medicine credentialed, accredited sleep center or Austin sleep lab like SleepSomatics. SleepSomatics in-lab sleep studies evaluate 70+ sleep disorders utilizing rigorous medical protocols in a modern, spa-inspired 400 sq. ft. private sleep suite here at SleepSomatics. Don't trust your long-term health and wellness to a smart phone app. You spend one-third of your life asleep. You deserve the highest, most accurate diagnostic sleep testing and evaluation from SleepSomatics, a sleep lab Austin consistently ranked highest in customer and patient satisfaction for patients with sleep disorders, sleep evaluation, and Austin sleep testing.
Concerned you aren't getting enough sleep? If you or someone you care about snores or is tired and fatigued during the day, sleep-disordered breathing (and sleep apnea) may be a serious risk. Get your sleep tested today by SleepSomatics, a professionally credentialed and accredited sleep test center located in Austin since 1999. Call 512.323.9253
For more information, read this article's sources:
Chicago Tribune Health: Shorter sleep may speed brain aging
MedPage Today: Poor Sleep May Signal Dementia in Older Vets
The Washington Post: Sleep disorders may raise risk of Alzheimer’s, new research shows
This blog's thumbnail image credit goes to Guardian Liberty Voice.
