Dementia is a disorder associated with decline in brain function. The decline however, is a part of the symptoms pf the disease. There is no definite cause of Dementia till date. Researchers are still trying to discover them.
However, loud snoring can be a cause for it. This is according to a new study recently conducted.
Sleep habits causing Dementia: The study
Loud snoring at times leads to sleep apnoea. This is a condition in which breathing stops for small intervals of time during sleep.
It has been found that people having sleep apnoea have huge amount of a specific brain protein. This brain protein is causes Alzheimer’s disease. There are also studies stating that lots of good eye shuts prevent dementia.
People with sleep apnoea more prone to dementia
Source: National Sleep Foundation
According to the study, loud snorers are about 3 times more vulnerable to it.
During such loud snores, a chemical is released in the body. This chemical forms tangles in the brain.
Because of which brain cells called neurons die. This leads to a disease called Alzheimer’s Disease. Because of the dead neurons the person is often confused. Moreover, there are other signs of cognitive decline as well.
Dr. Diego Carvalho is the author of the study. He says that people usually have less than 5 acts of apnoea during sleep. This is for per hour sleep. He studied 288 people. None of them had cognitive impairment.
The participants had PET scans. PET stands for Positron Emission Tomography. This was done to find accumulation of tau tangles. Because of sleep apnoea these tangles might have developed in the participants.
Will your sleep habit be a cause of dementia?
Source: Kindly Care
The results of the research study
Researchers identified 15 percent of the lot with sleep apnoea. This comprised of 43 people. On detailed analysis it was found that these people have 4.5 percent more accumulation of tau.
The researchers however have not certified this study. They say that it requires longer studies to reach to any conclusion.
