Snoring could raise your risk of Alzheimer’s disease, study suggests

The sleep condition may also trigger problems like waking up a lot and making snorting or choking noises.

The research team looked at sleep factors and health biomarkers of the brain’s white matter. 

The molecules found in blood measure how well the brain’s white matter is preserved, which is important to connect different parts of the brain. 

One of the biomarkers the team looked at was white matter hyperintensities, which describes tiny lesions visible on brain scans. 

The other biomarker measures the integrity of the axons, which form the nerve fibres that connect nerve cells.

Study author Diego Z. Carvalho, of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, said: “These biomarkers are sensitive signs of early cerebrovascular disease.

“Finding that severe sleep apnoea and a reduction in slow-wave sleep are associated with these biomarkers is important since there is no treatment for these changes in the brain, so we need to find ways to prevent them from happening or getting worse.”

The researchers arrived at their findings by looking at 140 people with obstructive sleep apnoea.

The participants, who were on average aged 73, had a brain scan and had to spend a night in a sleep lab. 

These study subjects didn’t have cognitive issues at the start of the study and didn’t develop dementia by the end. 

The study observed how long people spent in slow-wave sleep, which is also known as deep sleep.

The research team found that for every 10-point decrease in the percentage of slow-wave sleep, there was an increase in the amount of white matter hyperintensities – similar to the effect of being 2.3 years older. 

The same decrease was also linked to reduced axonal integrity, which is similar to the effect of being three years older.

Furthermore, participants with severe sleep apnoea had a higher volume of white matter hyperintensities and reduced axonal integrity in the brain, compared to those with mild or moderate sleep apnoea. 

While the study showed an association between sleep apnoea and a higher risk of Alzheimer’s and stroke, it didn’t prove that sleep disturbances cause these changes in the brain.

The team also added that the study had its limitations and more research is currently needed to determine whether sleep issues affect these brain biomarkers or vice versa.