Sleep Apnea Linked to Cognitive Decline in Men, Study Shows

A new study finds that obstructive sleep apnea itself is harming the brain, giving new urgency to recognizing and treating the disorder. Otherwise healthy middle-age men newly diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea showed poorer mental function in areas such as judgment, impulse control and recognizing other people’s feelings compared to men without the condition. It’s estimated that as many as 26% of adults in the U.S. ages 30 to 70 have sleep apnea, according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Risk factors for obstructive sleep apnea include being overweight, high blood pressure, chronic nasal congestion, a narrowed airway, and diabetes. Doctors use numerous strategies to treat sleep apnea, including the continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine, mandibular advancement devices, and operations to change structures in the throat.