Sleep Apnea May Accelerate Aging
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Millions of people can be classified as having sleep-disordered breathing (SDB), the umbrella term for several chronic conditions including sleep apnea. Estimates conclude SDB may affect as many as two percent of women and four percent of men. Despite its prevalence however, its affect on aging hasn’t been well studied until recently.
A study presented at SLEEP 2019 by researchers at Harvard Medical School has linked SDB with epigenetic age acceleration, with women appearing to be affected more, despite having less severe SDB. Each standard deviation increase in the sleep disruption arousal index was associated with an estimated 321 days of age acceleration.
“If causal, our results suggest that improving AHI and sleep fragmentation may positively affect age-related chronic diseases.” -Xiaoyu Li, ScD
“Since sleep-disordered breathing is not only common and treatable, but often undiagnosed and under-treated, our data highlight the potential for sleep-disordered breathing treatment to improve age-related chronic conditions and longevity," said Li. "Because epigenetic changes are reversible, epigenetic age estimators may be useful for identifying and validating anti-aging interventions.