Snoring can be one of the signs of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a relatively common disease that affects children and adults. There’s been quite a bit of press lately about it- and for good reason: sleep apnea, which tends to be greatly underdiagnosed, can have a tremendous affect on your brain power.
Furthermore, unlike many neurologic conditions, it is usually easy to treat. Patients are usually prescribed a CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) mask to wear at night over their nose.
[above picture taken from the Mayo Clinic Website)
A new study out of Brown University Medical School looked at how memory ability faired with CPAP usage.
- Of those who used it less than 2 hours per night (i.e., poorly compliant), 21% had normal memory function
- Of those who used it 2-6 hours per night, 44% had normal memory function
- Of those who used it more than 6 hours per night (optimal treatment, compliant), 68% had normal memory function
“Patients with OSA often complain of daily forgetfulness, e.g., losing their keys, forgetting phone numbers, or forgetting to complete daily tasks,” said senior study author Mark S. Aloia, PhD, who published his research in the December issue of the medical journal Chest. “Where memory is concerned, we may have the ability to reverse some of the impairments by providing effective and consistent use of CPAP treatment.”
Unfortunately, I’ve noticed that compliance is an issue, as many patients don’t get used to the CPAP machine and find it intrusive.
You may want to read an earlier post about how sleep apnea can:
- Damage the hippocampus- one of the main memory centers of the brain, and also
- Lower children’s IQ test scores
For a list of sleep apnea symptoms and associated features, click here.
Tags: ADHD, children, CPAP, enlarged-tonsils, forgetfulness, forgetting, hippocampus, IQ, memory-ability, memory-function, OSA, sleep-apnea, Snoring, test-scores
I got to 2 trains and thought it was hard!
I have Obstructive Sleep Apnea. TRUST ME when I say that being compliant with a CPAP mask can make all the difference in the world! I often found myself walking the day “in a fog” until I began wearing my mask again! (A new marriage caused me to feel I could not wear it)–I stay awake much easier during the day and am now (at age 47) in my Junior year of college AND work full time. What a difference it makes. There are many different types of masks–you should be able to find one that works for you!–just give it a try. Even wearing it a few hours a night until you get used to it is better than not wearing it at all. I find myself not able to sleep well unless I have mine on now!
[...] Sleep Apnea, which affects about 20 million Americans, results in memory loss, poor concentration, a…. (from an earlier Smartkit post) [...]