When you think back on your life, can you remember your childhood? Your first day of school or favorite vacation? When you think about yesterday, can you remember what you had for breakfast?
If you are struggling to remember specific details about your past or day-to-day life, it may be a little scary.
It may also be related to sleep apnea.
More than 936 million people worldwide are affected by the sleep breathing disorder known as obstructive sleep apnea.
The connection between OSA and memory loss is surprising to many people, because other OSA symptoms are discussed more frequently, including severe and chronic health issues like high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular problems. However, a study published in 2019 by RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia, has found a link.
OSA is a condition that causes interruptions in breathing during sleep. These interruptions are generally caused by the throat’s muscles collapsing into the airway or the tongue falling back to block the flow of air when the body relaxes during sleep.
These interruptions can last from 10 seconds to a minute or more and can happen anywhere from a dozen to hundreds of times a night.
As we said, in most cases, the interruptions in breathing that trigger OSA are caused by the muscles of the airway collapsing or the tongue falling back to cut off the air. But, what contributes to this happening?
Here are factors that can increase your risk:
The RMIT study examined the link between untreated OSA and memory by analyzing anecdotes regarding the ability to recall things about their life, a type of memory known as autobiographical memory.
What they found was that individuals with untreated OSA had difficulty recalling specific details about their lives.
In the study, they compared 44 adults with untreated OSA with 44 individuals without the sleep breathing disorder on their ability to recall specific things from their childhood, early adulthood and recent years.
They found that the participants with OSA had a higher “over general” memory than those without OSA. That is, they could recount general things about their past, but no specifics.
The researchers also found that OSA sufferers had issues with semantic memories, the ability to recall facts and concepts from one’s personal history, like your third-grade teacher’s name or the name of your first pet.
Interestingly enough, those with untreated OSA did not struggle with episodic memory, which is the ability to remember events like the first day of high school or family vacations from your childhood. One theory is that quality sleep is essential for the consolidation of autobiographical semantic memory.
In addition to the anecdotal evidence of the RMIT study, some researchers have taken brain scans of individuals living with sleep apnea and found that those with untreated OSA generally have a significant loss of gray matter in regions covering the area where the autobiographical memories are created.
Not only does OSA carry risks such as diabetes, cardiovascular problems and memory loss, but the implications of memory loss also add another layer of complications to the lives of those affected: depression, frustration and sadness over not being able to recall life memories.
The most common signs of OSA include:
Are you struggling with untreated OSA or suspect you have OSA? Call us now to schedule a consultation and find out how we can help.