Untreated sleep apnoea linked to earlier mental decline

Older people who have sleep apnoea, which can be marked by heavy snoring, tend to begin experiencing cognitive decline about 10 years earlier than those without the disorder or those who use a breathing machine to treat their apnoea, according to a new US study.

Among older people who developed mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer’s disease, those with untreated obstructed sleep breathing began to experience mental loss at an average age of 77, compared to age 90 for those without breathing problems, the study team found.

“We didn’t find that snoring causes dementia,” said lead author Dr Ricardo S Osorio of The Centre for Brain Health at NYU School of Medicine in New York.