Suffering from forgetfulness? Not as alert as you were last year? Thinking cap generally sluggish? Obstructive sleep apnea may be the real issue. In addition, it might not be the lack of oxygen caused by OSA that is harming your memory, it may be elevated cortisol levels created by lack of sleep that is making you forgetful and mentally slow.
The researchers, from the University of California, San Diego, checked 55 sleep apnea patients’ blood cortisol levels every two hours for 24 hours. The patients underwent sleep studies the following night and then took a battery of tests to assess cognitive function. The researchers looked to see how many times they stopped breathing, and how often their oxygen levels dropped in response to airway obstruction.
Previous research has assumed that sleep-related memory problems are caused by a drop in oxygen. But this study found that it was elevated cortisol levels that best predicted cognitive dysfunction.
Elevated levels of stress hormones like cortisol can affect more than your memory. Studies have found that patients with high levels of cortisol can suffer from a large number of cognitive disorders as well as issues like obesity. In fact, many health issues related to high cortisol levels mirror the health issues related to obstructive sleep apnea.
Get Help for Your Obstructive Sleep Apnea – And Improve Your Memory & Health
Your body and mind require restful sleep in order to run properly, and sleep apnea is one of the biggest inhibitors to getting the sleep you need to stay healthy. Run at 100% by getting your sleep under control, permanently.