A new study finds that if you've been diagnosed with sleep apnea or simply spend less time in deep sleep, you may be more at risk of developing dementia.
"People who tended to have a lower oxygen level in their blood during sleep had more of what we call micro-infarctions or very small strokes that have been correlated with memory loss and thinking skill problems in aging," said Dr. James Leverenz, who did not take part in the study but treats dementia at Cleveland Clinic.
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Researchers with the VA Pacific Islands Healthcare System studied nearly 170 Japanese-American men. They found that people who don't have as much oxygen in their blood during sleep, which occurs with sleep apnea and conditions such as emphysema, are more likely to have tiny abnormalities in brain tissue than people with higher levels of oxygen in the blood. These abnormalities are associated with the development of dementia. Researchers say more studies are needed.
Leverenz says if you have been diagnosed with sleep apnea or you are showing signs you should be treated.
"Your spouse or your bed partner is telling you that you're snoring very loudly, or it seems that you stop breathing at certain points during your sleep or you're just having a lot of fatigue during the day; it's worth going to see your physician and getting your sleep evaluated because if you have true sleep apnea it's not good for your brain," he advised.