This may mean we miss out on stages of deep and REM sleep, which has a detrimental effect on the brain, as the less deep sleep means the brain ages at a quicker rate.Ī separate study from the Faculty of Medicine at University of Paris-Cité, France, claimed that one in five (20.2 percent) of us have sleep apnea but only 3.5 percent are getting treatment. It is also when we are most likely to disturbed by noises and thus woken up by a partner snoring. There are five stages of sleep, including light sleep, which accounts for roughly half our sleep time.

'Our study suggests that OSA is common, but the majority of those affected do not know they have the condition.' The study was published in the journal Neurology.ĭr Pauline Balagny from University of Paris-Cité, whose research was published in the journal ERJ Open Research, said: 'We know that obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a major health hazard but if patients are diagnosed with the condition, they can be given treatments and advice to mitigate the risks. Those with severe sleep apnea had more white matter hyperintensities than those with mild or moderate conditions, and the integrity of their brain’s axons were decreased that link nerve cells.

The sleep study examined how long people spent in deep sleep, believed to be one of the best markers of sleep quality.Įxperts found for every 10 percent decrease of deep sleep the white matter hyperintensities increase, similar to being 2.3 years older. 'We also need to look at whether strategies to improve sleep quality or treatment of sleep apnea can affect the trajectory of these biomarkers.' 'More research is needed to determine whether sleep issues affect these brain biomarkers or vice versa. 'Finding that severe sleep apnea and a reduction in slow-wave sleep are associated with these biomarkers is important since there is no treatment for these changes in the brain, so we need to find ways to prevent them from happening or getting worse. One of the markers is tiny lesions visible on brain scans, known as white matter hyperintensities, which become more common with age or uncontrolled high blood pressure.ĭr Diego Carvalho of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, said: 'These biomarkers are sensitive signs of early cerebrovascular disease.

Naomi's Room by Jonathan Aycliffe