Can Sleep Apnea Make You Age Faster?

Many people are making ongoing efforts to stay young. For example, you might eat nutritious foods, stick to a good exercise routine, and use quality skincare products. Such measures can be helpful, but they do not touch on one of the biggest factors that affects aging: sleep. Research indicates that poor sleep — specifically, disordered breathing during sleep — may speed up the aging process. This blog post discusses how sleep apnea can make you age faster and how you may be able to turn back the clock with appropriate treatment.

Disordered Breathing and Biological Age

To understand how sleep apnea may affect aging, it is important to note the difference between chronological age and biological age. The former is simply a measure of the amount of time that has passed since your birth. The latter has to do with how well your genes and body are functioning overall. While chronological age is beyond your ability to control, there are many variables that can affect biological age.

A study from 2019 looked at data from more than 600 participants. The researchers determined that sleep disordered breathing (SDB) can accelerate the biological aging process. The more severe the SDB, the bigger the impact on biological age. A 2022 study supported the finding that poor sleep can affect biological aging.

Dr. Xiaoyu Li, the lead author of the abovementioned study from 2019, stated, “Our data highlight the potential for sleep-disordered breathing treatment to improve age-related chronic conditions and longevity.” To put it another way, improving the quality of your breathing during sleep might slow down or possibly reverse your biological age.

How Well Are You Sleeping?

How can you tell if you need to seek care for breathing problems during sleep? Here are some of the most common signs of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), which is a leading cause of SDB:

• You snore loudly and frequently.
• Your partner has observed that you sometimes stop breathing at night.
• You sometimes wake up gasping for air.
• You frequently wake up with a headache or sore throat.
• You often feel fatigued despite sleeping for 8 hours or longer.
• You struggle with persistent moodiness and irritability.
• You urinate multiple times during the night.

Turn Back the Clock with Sleep Apnea Treatment

If you believe you have OSA, talk to a qualified medical professional about getting tested. Once you receive an official diagnosis, you can pursue treatment. Many patients have found success with a custom oral appliance, which slightly repositions the lower jaw in a way that facilitates better breathing. Such appliances are small, convenient, and easy to adjust to for most patients.

Sleep apnea might make you feel older than you are! Keep an eye on the quality of your sleep so you can stay youthful and healthy for as long as possible.

Meet the Practice

The team at Anderson Dental Center in Hackensack is proud to provide effective and convenient oral appliance therapy for individuals with obstructive sleep apnea. If you have not been feeling well rested lately, we can evaluate your case and recommend your next steps. To learn more about how we may be able to serve you, contact our office at 201-546-7435.