Snoring may be an early sign of dementia, memory disorders

New research indicates that loud snoring may be an early warning sign of dementia and memory disorders.

People who suffer from sleep apnea, which often causes loud snoring, have a result in poorer memory tests and brain changes related to dementia.

At least half a million Britons suffer from this condition and it usually occurs in overweight men in middle age and causes the throat wall to shrink during sleep, causing sleep apnea.

Scientists from the University of Sydney, Australia, say that this condition can shrink parts of the brain by reducing the amount of oxygen in the blood.

Research has shown that people with reduced thickness in their left and right temporal lobes are memory centers of the brain and are associated with dementia.

These brain changes are linked to poorer results in memory tests. In this test, participants were given a list of 15 items and were asked to recall after 20 minutes.

People with sleep apnea have reduced thickness in their left and right temporal lobes.

Professor Sharon Naismith, head of research from the Brain and Mind Center at the University of Sydney, said: 'Our results show that we should screen for sleep apnea in the elderly.'

She added: 'We should also ask older patients in clinics who are involved in sleep about their memory and thinking ability and perform tests when necessary.

There is no cure for dementia so early intervention is the key. On the other hand, we need effective treatment for sleep apnea. '

'This study shows that diagnosis and treatment of sleep apnea may be an opportunity to prevent cognitive decline before it's too late.'

Australian researchers have chosen 83 people over 50 who have memory problems to go to a sleep clinic.

While participants slept, air flow through their noses and blood oxygen levels were recorded.

Results of 63 out of 83 people were assessed as having mild to severe sleep apnea.

The results published in European Respiratory show that people with low blood oxygen levels have reduced gray matter in the temporal lobe.

This decrease in brain volume is associated with severe dementia in dementia patients.

And this is not a study of dementia, it found that people with brain changes on the magnetic resonance imaging result in performing 5 memory tests using a list of 15 inferior entries. .

Professor Naismith said: 'About 30 to 50% of the risk of dementia is due to modifiable factors such as depression, high blood pressure, obesity and smoking. In recent years researchers have found that many sleep disorders are also risk factors for dementia. '

Sleep apnea can be treated using a continuous positive airway pressure device to prevent airway obstruction during sleep.