Do You Have This Secret Dementia Trigger?

There are some docs who will tell you that diseases like dementia are a matter of genetics. 

If you have the wrong genes, you’re basically doomed. 

But that’s total nonsense.

As many as 50% of dementia cases are due to factors that are completely within your control… things like high blood pressure, obesity, and smoking.

Now, researchers have recently identified another treatablecondition that sends your risk of dementia through the roof.

The good news? Getting it under control could go a long way towards making sure you never lose your mind. 

Obstructive sleep apnea is a problem that causes you to stop breathing while you’re sleeping. Sometimes the episodes are short enough to go unnoticed. Other times, you’ll wake up gasping for air. 

The problem happens when the muscles in your throat relax, causing your airway to become narrow or blocked altogether.

Waking throughout the night and snoring may be the most obvious signs of the problem. 

But there’s something happening below the surface that could be even more harmful than the condition itself.

According to a recent study published in the European Respiratory Journal, all of these episodes of shallow, interrupted breathing can cause changes in the brain that are also seen in early dementia.

Practically speaking, those changes reduced the “verbal encoding” ability of the subjects — that’s a skill necessary for you to be able to retain new information.

This is the first study to show that the low oxygen levels can cause changes to the very structure of the brain. But it’s not the first to show the link between sleep apnea and dementia.

Some studies have indicated that sleep apnea increases the risk of dementia, and others have shown that sleep apnea increases levels of beta amyloid plaque in the brain — the toxic protein associated with Alzheimer’s disease.

Controlling your sleep apnea could go a long way toward lowering your dementia risk. One of the best ways to do that is with a CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) machine. It blows air through a mask that covers your mouth and nose, which makes sure your airway stays open.

It’s not pretty, but that’s a small price to pay for better breathing, better sleep — and ultimately, better brain health.

To a brighter day,

Dr. Richard Gerhauser, M.D.