Obstructive sleep apnea, or OSA, is a common condition that causes breathing to stop and start during sleep. This happens when the muscles in the throat relax too much and block the airway.
When this occurs, the flow of air into the lungs is reduced or completely stopped for short periods. It can happen many times throughout the night without the person even realizing it.
Many people with sleep apnea snore loudly, toss and turn in bed, feel tired during the day, or wake up with headaches. These symptoms can disrupt not only the person’s sleep but also their partner’s sleep. While it’s easy to think of sleep apnea as just an annoying problem, recent research suggests it may be more dangerous than we thought—especially for the brain.
A new study from researchers in the UK, Germany, and Australia has found that even mild sleep apnea can lead to problems with memory, attention, and decision-making in men between the ages of 35 and 70.
What’s surprising is that these men were not overweight and didn’t have other health conditions. Most past research focused on people who had sleep apnea along with other issues like heart disease or diabetes. This study, however, looked at people who were otherwise healthy.
The researchers studied 27 men who had recently been diagnosed with mild to severe OSA. They also included seven men of similar age and background who didn’t have sleep apnea, to use as a comparison group.
The scientists used a special sleep monitoring device called WatchPAT to track their sleep and breathing patterns. They also performed a more detailed sleep test called polysomnography to monitor brain activity, breathing, and other body functions during sleep.
The results were clear: men with sleep apnea, especially those with more severe cases, did worse on tests that measured how well their brain worked. Even those with mild OSA had poorer performance compared to men without the condition. The mental skills affected included memory, focus, planning, and understanding social situations.
These changes in thinking skills were not caused by other illnesses, but by sleep apnea itself. The researchers believe this might be due to low oxygen levels, high carbon dioxide, poor sleep quality, and even brain inflammation that can happen when breathing is repeatedly interrupted.
While scientists don’t fully understand how all of this happens, they agree on one thing: sleep apnea should be taken seriously. Getting diagnosed and treated early may help protect the brain from long-term harm.
Cognitive problems can lower quality of life and make daily tasks more difficult. But the good news is that there are many things people can do to help their brain stay healthy.
Regular exercise, eating nutritious food, staying mentally active, and getting enough sleep all help. It’s also important to manage other health conditions and avoid harmful habits like smoking or drinking too much alcohol.
This study, led by Dr. Ivana Rosenzweig and published in the journal *Frontiers in Sleep*, highlights how important it is to recognize and treat sleep disorders like OSA—not just to improve sleep but to protect brain health in the long run.
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