TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Sleep-disordered breathing linked to age acceleration, study says
Research has revealed that the severity of sleep disruption is linked to age acceleration.
Change Size
Research has revealed that the severity of sleep disruption is linked to age acceleration. (Shutterstock/Motortion Films)
R
esults of a new study show that the severity of sleep disruption as well as sleep-disordered breathing, characterized by abnormal respiratory patterns or insufficient ventilation that happens during sleep, are related to age acceleration.
Each increase in standard deviation in the apnea-hypopnea index, a measurement of severity in regard to sleep disorders, was linked to the equivalent of 204 days of age acceleration. Likewise, an increase in standard deviation of the arousal index, a measurement of sleep disruption, is equivalent to 321 days of age acceleration.
"People's biological age might not be the same as their chronological age,” said United States-based researcher Xiaoyu Li, as quoted from Science Daily.
"Individuals whose biological age is higher than their chronological age exhibit age acceleration or fast aging. In our study, we found that more severe sleep-disordered breathing is associated with epigenetic age acceleration. Our data provide biological evidence supporting adverse physiological and health effects of untreated sleep-disordered breathing.”
Obstructive sleep apnea, a sleep disorder in which a person’s breathing repeatedly stops and starts during sleep, is categorized by respiratory abnormalities. An episode usually results in a decrease in blood oxygen saturation and is often discontinued due to arousals. Almost 30 million adults in the US alone suffer from this disorder. Common symptoms involve snoring and excessive daytime sleepiness.
As stated by the authors, age acceleration is a marker based on DNA methylation of rapid biological aging that is associated with alterable lifestyle factors. Despite the links between sleep-disordered breathing and age-related health disorders, the role of epigenetic raging has not been studied much.
[RA::Feeling sleepy all day and other signs of sleep apnea:;/life/2019/01/27/feeling-sleepy-all-day-and-other-signs-of-sleep-apnea.html]
The study involved 622 adults of an average age of 69 years old; 53 percent being women. Participants were measured for blood DNA methylation and had their sleep evaluated by polysomnography, a test used to diagnose any sleep disorder.
The measurement of age acceleration was calculated as the regressing epigenetic age from chronological age. The correlation of each trait of sleep-disordered breathing and age acceleration were observed through linear regression, controlling for socio-demographics, health behaviors, body mass index and study site.
It was found that women were more likely to be affected by this association than men, and may be exceptionally vulnerable to it.
Li stated, "While women are often considered to be at lower risk for health outcomes related to sleep-disordered breathing, our findings suggest increased biological susceptibility,”
The authors suggest that studies of whether treatment minimizes epigenetic age acceleration among people who have sleep-disordered breathing should be conducted.
Sleep-disordered breathing is treatable and common, yet often it seems to go untreated and undiagnosed. (vit/wng)
