Sleep Apnea Takes a Toll on the Brain

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is characterized by stopping breathing repeatedly during sleep, sometimes hundreds of times during the night and often for a minute or longer. There are three distinct types of sleep apnea, but OSA is the most common. Sleep apnea affects more than 12 million people in the USA. It’s more likely in men who are overweight and over 40.

It’s known that people with sleep apea have an increased risk of having a stroke. But a new study shows that some patients with OSA may have small areas of the brain that have had a ‘silent infarct’ i.e. a thrombisis (clot) that cuts off the blood supply to an area of the brain, that subsequently dies. ‘Silent’ means that there are no obvious symptoms, although these lesions are associated with a still greater increased risk of stroke. Blood tests show that there are increased levels of inflammation ‘markers’ in the blood, such as C-reactive protein (CRP) and soluble P-selectin – these are proteins that indicate inflammation in the body. These findings were published on 50 male patients with OSA before and 3 months after treatment with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP).

One in four of the OSA patients had silent brain infarction, detected by MRI. The CPAP treatment significantly lowered the raised levels of the inflammation markers after 3 months. The authors of the study concude that CPAP treatment is therefore likely to reduce the risk of further silent infarction or, indeed, of a stroke.

The important take-home message is that, if your sleeping partner tells you that you keep stopping breathing between snoring, you should hasten to the doctor. You require an assessment for sleep apnea, and, if found to have it, you should have it treated; there are several appproaches that work well.

Commercial break:  If you are having difficulty sleeping, part of the problem may be your mattress.  If you are not getting the rest you need to function well during the day, find out if a memory foam mattress or simply a newer version of your current one can help you get a better night's sleep.