A latest study by the team of U.S. researchers revealed that there could be a scary connection between sleep disorders and cognitive decline. The sleep disorders pointed out by the researchers include sleep apnea and snoring.

According to the research, people who snore are at risk of experiencing cognitive decline 10 years earlier than those who do not snore while taking a nap. The risk remains the same even when compared to people who use a breathing machine to treat their sleep apnea.

When a person suffers from sleep apnea, called snoring, he or she stops breathing for a few seconds which may even extend up to several minutes. The researchers claim that this disruption in breathing while sleeping is harmful for the overall health of the brain, and may trigger dementia several years in advance, reported TIME.

During the study, the researchers reviewed the medical history of around 2,5000 subjects aged between 55 and 90, reported Fox News. All the subjects were already enrolled in the Alzheimer's disease study and were re-studied at an interval of every six months. All the subjects were asked to self-report whether they have sleep apnea or its obstructive form. They were also asked to report whether they use a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine at night.

The evaluation results revealed that people who showed signs of dementia, memory loss or Alzheimer's years earlier than expected were the ones who suffered from untreated sleep-disordered breathing. Those who used the CPAP machine at night or the ones who did not have any form of sleep apnea were found to have memory decline at the same expected age.

“Obstructive sleep apnea is not only a severe and serious disease associated with cardiovascular morbidity or mortality, but also brain health and neurocognitive health,” said Dr. Timothy I. Morgenthaler from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, reported Fox News. The study was published in the journal Neurology.

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