Older adults who use positive airway pressure therapy to treat obstructive sleep apnea may be less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia, according to a recent study published in Sleep.
Researchers from Michigan Medicine's Sleep Disorders Centers analyzed Medicare claims of more than 50,000 beneficiaries ages 65 and older who had been diagnosed with sleep apnea. They analyzed whether people who used positive airway pressure therapy were less likely to receive a new diagnosis of dementia or mild cognitive impairment over the next three years, compared with those who didn't use this treatment.
The findings stress the impact of sleep on brain function and further highlight that diagnosis and effective treatment of obstructive sleep apnea could play a major role in the cognitive health of older adults.
