Sleep Apnea

  • Sleep Apnea, Sleep Health, Sleep Study

    Study reveals sleep effects how young you feel

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    By Eric Ralls Earth.com staff writer

    Have you ever noticed how a well-maintained classic car can turn heads and exude a timeless charm? Its age has become subjective. Just like a vintage automobile that has been meticulously cared for, feeling young is not merely a superficial notion — it is intrinsically connected to tangible health benefits.

    Subjective age, the internal gauge that measures how old we perceive ourselves to be, transcends the realm of simple self-perception.

    Much like how a classic car’s performance and longevity are tied to its upkeep, research has revealed that individuals who feel younger than their chronological age tend to enjoy longer lifespans, superior mental and physical well-being, and a host of positive psychological attributes.

    These findings have led experts to propose the integration of subjective age as a biophysical indicator of aging, serving as a vital component of comprehensive health assessments.

    Young and Youthful Woman

    Sleep-age connection

    Researchers at Stockholm University have discovered that sleep affects how old you feel. The study, published in the scientific journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, reveals that feeling sleepy can make you feel ten years older.

    Leonie Balter, a researcher at the Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, explains, “Given that sleep is essential for brain function and overall well-being, we decided to test whether sleep holds any secrets to preserving a youthful sense of age.”

    Power of a good night’s sleep

    In the first study, 429 individuals aged 18 to 70 were asked how old they felt, how many days in the past month they had not gotten enough sleep, and how sleepy they were.

    The results showed that for each night with insufficient sleep in the past month, participants felt on average 0.23 years older.

    To further investigate the causal relationship between sleep and subjective age, the researchers conducted a second study involving 186 participants aged 18 to 46.

    Participants restricted their sleep for two nights, with only four hours in bed each night, and another time slept sufficiently for two nights, with nine hours in bed each night.

    The findings were striking. After sleep restriction, participants felt on average 4.4 years older compared to when having enjoyed sufficient sleep.

    Staying young at heart by safeguarding your sleep

    The effects of sleep on subjective age appeared to be related to how sleepy they felt. Feeling extremely alert was related to feeling 4 years younger than one’s actual age, while extreme sleepiness was related to feeling 6 years older than one’s actual age.

    “This means that going from feeling alert to sleepy added a striking 10 years to how old one felt,” says Leonie Balter.

    Previous studies have shown that feeling younger than one’s actual age is associated with longer, healthier lives. There is even support for subjective age to predict actual brain age, with those feeling younger having younger brains.

    The implications of this study are clear. “Safeguarding our sleep is crucial for maintaining a youthful feeling. This, in turn, may promote a more active lifestyle and encourage behaviours that promote health, as both feeling young and alert are important for our motivation to be active,” states Leonie Balter.

    Unlocking the secrets of age by sleeping

    In a world where we are constantly searching for the fountain of youth, it turns out that the secret to feeling young again might be as simple as getting a good night’s sleep.

    By prioritizing our sleep and ensuring that we get enough rest each night, we can not only feel more alert and energized but also maintain a youthful sense of age.

    So, the next time you find yourself longing for the vitality of your younger years, remember that the key to unlocking that feeling might just be a few extra hours of shut-eye.

    More about subjective age

    As discussed above, subjective age refers to how old an individual feels, regardless of their chronological age. It is a personal perception that can be influenced by various factors, such as physical health, mental well-being, and life experiences.

    People often report feeling younger or older than their actual age, and this subjective age can have significant implications for their overall health and quality of life.

    Benefits of feeling younger

    Numerous studies have shown that feeling younger than one’s chronological age is associated with a range of positive outcomes.

    Individuals who feel younger tend to have better physical and mental health, higher levels of life satisfaction, and a more positive outlook on life.

    They are also more likely to engage in healthy behaviors, such as regular exercise and maintaining a balanced diet.

    Impact of subjective age on longevity

    Research suggests that subjective age may even predict longevity. A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that individuals who felt younger than their actual age had a lower risk of mortality compared to those who felt older.

    This finding highlights the potential importance of subjective age as a biophysical marker of aging and its relevance in health assessments.

    Factors influencing subjective age

    Several factors can influence an individual’s subjective age, including:

    • Physical health: Chronic illnesses, disabilities, and poor physical functioning can make people feel older than their chronological age.
    • Mental health: Depression, anxiety, and stress can contribute to feeling older, while positive emotions and a sense of purpose can help individuals feel younger.
    • Social connections: Strong social support and engaging in meaningful relationships can promote a youthful sense of age.
    • Life experiences: Major life events, such as retirement, the loss of a loved one, or becoming a grandparent, can impact how old an individual feels.

    Harnessing the power of subjective aging

    In summary, subjective age is a fascinating concept that has garnered increasing attention from researchers and healthcare professionals alike.

    By understanding the factors that influence subjective age and its potential implications for health and well-being, we can develop strategies to promote a more youthful mindset and improve overall quality of life.

    Encouragingly, recent research on the link between sleep and subjective age suggests that we may have more control over how old we feel than previously thought.

    The full study was published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences.

    —–

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  • Sleep Apnea, Sleep Apnea Dentist, Sleep Health

    Sleep deprivation: A cause of high blood pressure?

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    Is it true that sleep deprivation can cause high blood pressure?

    Answer From Francisco Lopez-Jimenez, M.D.

    Possibly. Sleep experts recommend that adults get 7 to 8 hours of sleep each night. Getting less than six hours of sleep is known to be bad for overall health. Stress, jet lag, shift work and other sleep disturbances make it more likely to develop heart disease and risk factors for heart disease, including obesity and diabetes. A regular lack of sleep may lead to high blood pressure (hypertension) in children and adults.

    The less you sleep, the higher your blood pressure may go. People who sleep six hours or less may have steeper increases in blood pressure. If you already have high blood pressure, not sleeping well may make your blood pressure worse.

    Sleep Deprived

    It’s thought that sleep helps the body control hormones needed to control stress and metabolism. Over time, a lack of sleep could cause swings in hormones. Hormone changes can lead to high blood pressure and other risk factors for heart disease.

    Don’t try to make up for a lack of sleep with a lot of sleep. Too much sleep — although not as bad as too little sleep — can lead to high blood sugar and weight gain, which can affect heart health. Talk to your health care provider for tips on getting better sleep, especially if you have high blood pressure.

    One possible, treatable cause of lack of sleep contributing to high blood pressure is obstructive sleep apnea. This sleep disorder causes breathing to repeatedly stop and start during sleep. Talk with your care provider if you feel tired even after a full night’s sleep, especially if you snore. Obstructive sleep apnea may be the cause. Obstructive sleep apnea can increase the risk of high blood pressure and other heart problems.

  • Sleep Apnea

    Study Reinforces Link Between Mobile Phone Addiction and Insomnia

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    Original Article March 30, 2024 | Kyle Munz

    A cross-sectional study utilizing self-reports from Chinese college students correlated mobile phone use with insomnia, bolstering previous research that made similar conclusions.

    A study recently published in Frontiers Public Health reinforced the known correlation between mobile phone addiction and insomnia, while additionally suggesting that increasing one’s physical activity could mitigate this negative impact.

    Man Endlessly Scrolling in Bed | image credit: Louis-Photo - stock.adobe.com

    Man Endlessly Scrolling in Bed | image credit: Louis-Photo – stock.adobe.com

    During the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of social media was seen as a benefit both for providing social support during large-scale isolation and disseminating information on public health. However, as the authors of the current study mentioned, the negative consequences associated with mobile phone use—such as its documented influence on insomnia—should not be ignored. The authors added that investigations into the effects of mobile phone use during the pandemic have largely focused on the mental health of adolescents while the outcomes related to insomnia have been unknown.

    To address this gap in knowledge, researchers conducted a study to investigate what underlying factors influence the relationship between insomnia and mobile phone addiction in college students, considering the mediating role of social anxiety and the moderating role of physical activity. This study was conducted in China, which endured the first outbreak of COVID-19, and surveyed Chinese college students.

    This study was conducted with an online questionnaire, which was completed by 301 college students. A student’s degree of mobile phone addiction was measured with the Chinese iteration of the Mobile Phone Addiction Tendency Scale (MPATS), where higher scores indicate more intense addiction. The Chinese iteration of the Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN) was used to measure social anxiety, and higher scores indicate higher levels of social anxiety. Physical activity levels were measured with the Physical Activity Rating Scale (PARS-3) and insomnia by the Insomnia Severity Index where, similarly in both, higher scores indicate higher levels of activity and more severe insomnia.

    Their results showed that mobile phone addiction had a positive association with social anxiety (P < .001) and that social anxiety was positively associated with insomnia (P < .01). Overall, the correlation between mobile phone addiction and insomnia was found to be significant (P < .001). These findings suggested that social anxiety could be a mediator of this relationship because the indirect effect between them was also found to be significant (indirect effect = 0.03; SE = 0.01; 95% Boot CI, 0.01–0.06).

    The self-reports indicated that more physical activity could reduce both feelings of social anxiety as well as feelings of addiction to one’s mobile phone. This moderating role of physical activity on the relationship between insomnia and mobile phone addiction was found to be significant (P < .05). The authors went on to comment that physical activity has previously demonstrated to be beneficial for the management of stress and loneliness, and can improve one’s mental health. The authors’ findings were consistent with prior reports in this area.

    “But it is worth noting that social anxiety could only partially account for the relationship between mobile phone addiction and insomnia; thus other key latent indicators, such as interpersonal distress, should also considered when examining the mediation role between them afterwards,” they added.

    The limitations of the study include the inability to establish causal relationships due to the cross-sectional design, the risk of recall bias that comes with self-reported data, and the use of convenient sampling which resulted in a moderate sample size. Additionally, the exclusive focus on college students during a specific pandemic period may limit the generalizability of the findings.

    “In summary, our research results indicate that increasing physical activity and reducing social anxiety can improve insomnia symptoms among college students,” the authors concluded. “To prevent future problematic behaviors among college students, it is necessary to adopt proactive health behaviors, such as engaging in physical activity, to counteract or avoid subsequent passive impacts.”

    Reference

    Wang J, Xu X, Zuo L, Wang H, Yang G. Mobile phone addiction and insomnia among college students in China during the COVID-19 pandemic: a moderated mediation model. Front Public Health. 2024;12:1338526. doi:10.3389/fpubh.2024.1338526

  • Sleep Apnea, Sleep Health

    Sleep deprivation: A cause of high blood pressure?

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    • by

    Is it true that sleep deprivation can cause high blood pressure?

    Answer From Francisco Lopez-Jimenez, M.D.

    Restless Sleep

    Possibly. Sleep experts recommend that adults get 7 to 8 hours of sleep each night. Getting less than six hours of sleep is known to be bad for overall health. Stress, jet lag, shift work and other sleep disturbances make it more likely to develop heart disease and risk factors for heart disease, including obesity and diabetes. A regular lack of sleep may lead to high blood pressure (hypertension) in children and adults.

    The less you sleep, the higher your blood pressure may go. People who sleep six hours or less may have steeper increases in blood pressure. If you already have high blood pressure, not sleeping well may make your blood pressure worse.

    It’s thought that sleep helps the body control hormones needed to control stress and metabolism. Over time, a lack of sleep could cause swings in hormones. Hormone changes can lead to high blood pressure and other risk factors for heart disease.

    Don’t try to make up for a lack of sleep with a lot of sleep. Too much sleep — although not as bad as too little sleep — can lead to high blood sugar and weight gain, which can affect heart health. Talk to your health care provider for tips on getting better sleep, especially if you have high blood pressure.

    One possible, treatable cause of lack of sleep contributing to high blood pressure is obstructive sleep apnea. This sleep disorder causes breathing to repeatedly stop and start during sleep. Talk with your care provider if you feel tired even after a full night’s sleep, especially if you snore. Obstructive sleep apnea may be the cause. Obstructive sleep apnea can increase the risk of high blood pressure and other heart problems.

  • Sleep Apnea, Sleep Health

    Sleep apnea associated with 50% higher risk of memory problems.

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    Original Article | Medical News Today

    • A new study analyzes the impact of sleep apnea symptoms on memory and thinking.
    • Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder that sometimes causes people to stop breathing.
    • The study subjects participated in a survey where they reported any symptoms of sleep apnea and difficulty with remembering things.
    • The study shows an association between sleep apnea symptoms and a higher rate of memory and thinking problems.

    Getting a good night’s sleep is important for many reasons, from having the energy to go about one’s daily tasks to optimal brain performance.

    Sleep apnea can interfere with this, and according to the National Council on Aging, it may impact around 39 million adults in the United States.

    While experts know sleep apnea can impact quality of life and even contribute to mood disordersTrusted Source, there is still more to learn.

    A researcher based in Boston recently conducted a cross-sectional study to determine whether a correlation between sleep apnea and thinking and memory problems exists.

    The findings showed that having sleep apnea symptoms correlated with a 50% increase in memory and thinking problems.

    The researcher will present the findings at the American Academy of Neurology’s Annual Meeting in April 2024. The research hasn’t yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal.

    Sleep apnea linked to thinking and memory issues

    Most people with sleep apnea have obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), but some experts have said that OSA is underdiagnosed.

    For instance, researchersTrusted Source note, “it is believed that more than 85% of patients with clinically significant OSA have never been diagnosed.”

    With the notion that sleep apnea could be underdiagnosed in mind, researcher Dr. Dominique Low wanted to learn more about a possible connection between sleep apnea and cognition. Dr. Low works at Boston Medical Center in Massachusetts and is a member of the American Academy of Neurology.

    Dr. Low pulled data from a government-funded survey called the 2017–18 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) to establish a potential link between sleep apnea and thinking and memory.

    The study participants included 4,257 adults ages 20 and older. Of the questionnaires they completed for the NHANES, they answered questions about sleep quality, memory, and thinking.

    Dr. Low used the data from these questionnaires to determine how people who reported sleep apnea symptoms compared to people without these symptoms.

    The participants also answered questions on their memory quality, whether they had any periods of confusion, and if the participants thought they had trouble making decisions.

    A total of 1,079 participants reported sleep apnea symptoms, including snoring and gasping for breath while asleep.

    Of people who indicated they had sleep apnea symptoms, 33% also reported symptoms of memory and thinking problems. This is significantly higher than the number of people without sleep apnea symptoms who reported such problems, which was only 20% of that group.

    After adjusting for other factors like age, race, and gender, Dr. Low observed that people with sleep apnea symptoms had a 50% higher chance of having thinking and memory issues compared to participants who didn’t report sleep apnea symptoms.

    “Our study found participants who had sleep apnea symptoms had greater odds of having memory or thinking problems,” Dr. Low said in a news release. “These findings highlight the importance of early screening for sleep apnea.”

    Despite the implications of these findings, it’s important to note that a correlation does not indicate causation. Scientists must conduct further research that does not rely solely on self-reported symptoms to establish the effects of sleep apnea symptoms on memory and thinking.

    Reducing the risk of cognitive decline

    Dr. Joey R. Gee, a neurologist at Providence Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo, California, spoke with Medical News Today about how sleep apnea may impact memory. Dr. Gee was not involved with the study.

    “Apnea may have an impact due to poor oxygenation through the night or also impairing appropriate sleep cycles with frequent arousals,” Dr. Gee noted. “Impaired executive functions, such as working memory and attention through the day, are greatly impacted.”

    Dr. Gee said that while untreated sleep apnea may impact cognitive function, the risk could be reduced with appropriate treatment.

    “Just as untreated sleep apnea increases the risk of impairment in executive function and attention, treatment can substantially reduce the risk of progressing cognitive decline,” Dr. Gee said.

    Dr. Thomas Kilkenny, the director of the Institute of Sleep Medicine at Staten Island University Hospital in New York, not involved in the study, emphasized the importance of treating sleep apnea as soon as it is detected.

    “If the patient can be treated early in OSA, these brain damages will not occur,” Dr. Kilkenny told MNT. “There will be a decrease in the amount of cognitive decline in OSA patients.”

    Dr. David Merrill, a geriatric psychiatrist and director of the Pacific Neuroscience Institute’s Pacific Brain Health Center at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, California, not involved with the study, shared his thoughts on the findings with MNT:

    “With high quality, restorative sleep, the brain’s function is enhanced and protected as we age,” explained Dr. Merrill. “If sleep is chronically disrupted, this can lead to a number of health issues, including headaches, fatigue, and memory loss that worsens over time. The disrupted, poor-quality sleep seen in sleep disorders leads to both acute and chronically worsening changes in the brain. Normally, a good night’s sleep literally allows for repair and restoration of brain function to the levels seen at the beginning of the prior day.”

    Dr. Merrill also spoke about the importance of treating sleep apnea and noted that it is a risk factor for developing dementia. While that may sound scary, he said that using a CPAP machine can help reduce risk.

    “Research studiesTrusted Source have shown that even 4 hours per night using a CPAP device results in significantly less worsening of cognitive decline over time,” said Dr. Merrill.

    What to know about sleep apnea

    Sleep apnea, including obstructive sleep apnea and central sleep apnea, can affect people of all ages but, as the National Council on Aging notes (link above), it is most prevalent in middle-aged and older adults.

    Some symptomsTrusted Source of sleep apnea a person may detect on their own include:

    • sleepiness during the day
    • headaches
    • difficulty focusing

    A person’s partner may notice additional symptoms such as snoring or gasping for breath while asleep.

    “Signs of obstructive sleep apnea are usually readily apparent,” Dr. Kilkenny said.

    “Loud snoring, restlessness, and daytime fatigue are the hallmarks of OSA,” he noted. “If someone snores even to a minor degree, they should bring this to the attention of their physician so they can get tested for OSA before damage occurs.”

    People with sleep apnea can treat it using a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine.

    They may also try to improve symptoms by making lifestyle changes such as losing weight. They may also have surgery or use an oral appliance.

  • Sleep Apnea, Sleep Health, Sleep Study

    Recent studies show how a migraine can be predicted.

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    Sleep quality and energy levels are two of the biggest indicators of an impending migraine attack, the study showed. Get inspired by a weekly roundup on living well, made simple.  

    Wouldn’t it be helpful to have a sense of when a debilitating migraine may be on the way?

    You may be able to do so, a new study has shown.

    Migraine

    “The major finding from this study was that changes in sleep quality and energy on the prior day were related to incident headache in the next day,” said Dr. Kathleen Merikangas, principal investigator of the study that published Wednesday in the journal Neurology.

    Migraines are nothing to shake your head at, and they certainly aren’t just nuisance headaches. Chronic migraines are the leading cause of disability in people younger than 50, according to a February 2018 study.

    More symptoms than you think may be tied to your migraines

    The study team found that sleep quality and energy were important indicators of a migraine attack on the following day.

    Those who had bad sleep quality and low energy one day were more likely to have migraines the next morning, the data showed. An increase in energy and greater-than-average stress usually foretold a migraine would appear later the next day.

    “It’s a very exciting study because of how well done and how detailed and how large it is,” said Dr. Stewart Tepper, vice president of the New England Institute for Neurology and Headache in Stamford, Connecticut. Tepper was not involved in the research.

    The differences point to the importance of your circadian rhythm — which regulates your cycles of sleep and wakefulness — in how headaches manifest. The findings may inform the treatment and prevention of migraine attacks.

    Migraine prevention

    Knowing when a migraine is coming can make all the difference — especially with growing interest in treating one before it starts, Tepper said.

    “If we can identify things in the environment that people can change, then we’d like to be able to prevent the attack in the first place,” Merikangas said. “If we can do that with behavioral interventions … then they may be able to prevent it by either going to sleep to offset it or some other intervention that would prevent us from having to use medication to prevent the attack.”

    Tepper, however, said he is not so sure if changes in behavior can always prevent a migraine attack.

    FDA approves new nasal spray to treat migraine headaches in adults, Pfizer says

    A migraine attack isn’t just a headache. And warning signs such as fatigue, neck pain and sleep disturbance may be early symptoms of an attack — not only a trigger of one, he added.

    Instead, Tepper advises intervening with medication before the head pain starts in hopes of warding off any pain at all.

    How much is too much?

    It makes sense that people might be conservative about using medication for migraine pain, Tepper said.

    An older class of medications, called triptans, was associated with more migraines and a resulting chronic migraine condition if used more than 10 days in a month, he said.

    But a newer option, rimegepant — sold as Nurtec — doesn’t seem to carry the same risk.

    “There’s no downside because rimegepant has almost no side effects and is not associated with transformation into chronic migraine,” Tepper said.

    What you can do about migraines

    Your doctor can recommend pain medication to address your migraines, but it also helps to know the signs of an upcoming attack, Tepper said.

    As well as monitoring sleep, exercise and diet, Merikangas suggests finding a way to monitor stress to be able to track the indicators of a migraine.

    There are five typical signs of an oncoming migraine headache, Tepper said. Those are sensitivity to light, fatigue, neck pain, and sensitivity to noise and dizziness, he said.

    5 ways to reduce your stress this year

    Cognitive behavioral therapy is often useful to help manage the stress that can trigger migraine attacks. What’s more, taking vitamins and supplements, such as magnesium and riboflavin, can be effective in reducing migraine frequency, Kylie Petrarca, a nurse and education program director at the Association of Migraine Disorders, said in a previous CNN article.

    It isn’t just about avoiding the pain, Merikangas said.

    “It’s really important to think of the full context of our health,” she said. “By being able to characterize not just headaches, but also all these other systems, we might be able then to get a handle on causes of negative health events.”