May 14, 2024

Sleep Apnea Accelerates Aging – But Using This Breathing Therapy Method Can Mitigate the Problem

The Role of CPAP in Telomere Maintenance
A study conducted at the Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP) in Brazil shows that the telomere shortening that naturally accompanies aging and is accelerated by OSA can be reduced by the use of constant favorable respiratory tract pressure (CPAP), a method of breathing therapy in which air is pumped into the lungs through the nose and mouth during spontaneous breathing.
Telomeres are structures made from DNA series and proteins discovered at the ends of chromosomes. They play a main role in maintaining the stability of the hereditary product in cell nuclei. They naturally reduce as cells divide to restore tissue and organs, and aging cells stop dividing when telomeres end up being too brief. Sped up telomere shortening due to OSA can for that reason result in early cell aging..
The research study was supported by FAPESP and reported in a short article released in the journal Sleep.
Research Methodology.
The researchers examined 46 male clients aged 50-60 and detected with severe or moderate OSA for six months. They divided these volunteers into two groups, treating one with CPAP and the other with a placebo (a CPAP machine with a covert leakage in the exhaust port of the mask to distribute the restorative pressure).
In month-to-month check outs, they checked adherence to CPAP, thought about complex and difficult to get utilized to. They took blood samples to measure telomere length at the start of the trial, three months later on, and at the end of the intervention. They also evaluated oxidative and inflammatory tension markers.
” Telomere reducing is inescapable since its related to aging, inflammation, and oxidative tension, however OSA accelerates it and we discovered that CPAP attenuated this velocity after three and six months,” stated Priscila Farias Tempaku, very first author of the post and a researcher in sleep biology at UNIFESPs Department of Psychobiology.
The Link Between OSA, Inflammation, and Telomere Shortening.
In their examination of the molecular systems related to OSA and telomere shortening, the scientists observed that swelling is most likely the main pathway by means of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), a cytokine understood to be included in the pathogenesis of some autoimmune and inflammatory illness.
” In the placebo group, TNF-α affected telomere length, whereas the association wasnt observed in the CPAP group. This reveals that in addition to its currently acknowledged importance in mitigating cardiovascular and metabolic danger, CPAP likewise reduces inflammation and for that reason attenuates telomere reducing,” Tempaku explained.
” The outcomes underscore the criticality of sleep as a protective aspect in aging and a danger consider clients with changes. This is an excellent incentive considering that many people hesitate to use CPAP,” stated Sergio Tufik, last author of the article and head of UNIFESPs Sleep Institute..
Sleep epidemiology.
A leader of sleep research in Brazil and worldwide, Professor Tufik developed the Episono (” Episleep”) project to investigate sleep public health. He and his group have performed studies of the population of São Paulo city every years considering that 1986 to learn about their sleep-related health problems, consisting of insomnia, snoring, and sleepwalking, and have actually released more than 70 posts on the topic in scientific journals..
The 2015 round of the survey focused on the impacts of telomere reducing over a period of 10 years, showing that having extreme OSA was equivalent to aging 10 years. This finding, together with those of the newest research study, led the researchers to conclude that they should examine the links between sleep and aging in more depth.
The Wider Context: Sleep Disorders and the Public.
” People age quicker when they sleep badly. Poor quality sleep is associated with mortality as much as other diseases.
The prevalence of OSA is rising in parallel with the advance of obesity, as the two disorders are frequently associated. According to the Brazilian Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery Society (SBCBM), 70% of obese individuals experience sleep disorders. The percentage is 80% in the case of morbid obesity.
Medical diagnosis of OSA requires a polysomnography test, likewise referred to as a sleep study. Treatment includes CPAP and way of life modifications such as weight loss, and avoidance of sleep medication in addition to alcoholic beverages at night.
Recommendation: “0466 Effect of Obstructive Sleep Apnea and CPAP on Telomere Length and its Associated Mechanisms” by Priscila Tempaku, Vânia DAlmeida, Sylvia Silva, Lia Bittencourt and Sergio Tufik, 29 May 2023, Sleep.DOI: 10.1093/ sleep/zsad077.0466.
The study was moneyed by the São Paulo Research Foundation..

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), which leads to interrupted breathing throughout sleep, can accelerate the natural shortening of telomeres, contributing to premature cellular aging. Results revealed that CPAP treatment slowed telomere reducing, recommending its efficiency not simply in handling sleep but also in countering the cellular aging results of OSA.
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is identified by duplicated episodes of the upper airway partially or completely closing during sleep. Poor quality sleep is associated with death as much as other illness. According to the Brazilian Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery Society (SBCBM), 70% of obese people suffer from sleep disorders.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), which leads to interrupted breathing throughout sleep, can speed up the natural shortening of telomeres, contributing to early cellular aging. Results showed that CPAP treatment slowed telomere shortening, suggesting its efficiency not simply in managing sleep however also in countering the cellular aging impacts of OSA.
In a research study involving 46 individuals, it was found that people with neglected obstructive sleep apnea experienced faster telomere reducing, a sign of cell aging. Nevertheless, the usage of constant positive respiratory tract pressure reduced this damage.
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is defined by duplicated episodes of the upper respiratory tract partly or fully closing throughout sleep. This causes pauses in breathing that can last from a few seconds to numerous minutes, typically followed by abrupt waking and deep breaths. Typical signs such as problem focusing, exhaustion, and excessive sleepiness during the day can considerably decrease ones lifestyle and can be incapacitating.
If not addressed, individuals with OSA might deal with increased threats of hypertension, heart disease, cardiac arrest, and diabetes, to name a few health issues, along with poor memory and concentration.