Does Sleep Apnea Make You Age Faster?

In an attempt to stay youthful, many people exercise regularly, have a good skincare routine, and eat a nutrient-rich diet. All of those things are important, but unfortunately, some individuals forget about the importance of high-quality sleep. Indeed, research indicates that consistently failing to get an adequate amount of high-quality sleep can lead to epigenetic age acceleration. How does sleep apnea make you age faster? This blog post strives to explain.

Sleep Apnea and Epigenetic Age Acceleration

There are a few different ways to describe your age. Your chronological age is a straightforward measurement of the number of years that have passed since you were born. Your biological age is different. It is a measurement of how your body should be functioning in relation to your chronological age. When a person’s biological age exceeds their chronological age, this is known as epigenetic age acceleration.

Epigenetic age acceleration can be caused by a number of different factors, such as smoking, a poor diet, and pollution. Sleep disordered breathing, such as what occurs during sleep apnea, can also contribute to an increase in biological age. A 2019 study found that the more severe a person’s sleep disordered breathing is, the greater the age acceleration they experience.

What Can You Do?

The good news is that, unlike chronological age, biological age can be reversed. In fact, in 2022, after conducting some research on the effects of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) on biological age, one researcher said, “Our results suggest that biological age acceleration is at least partially reversible when effective treatment of OSA is implemented.”

Treatment for sleep apnea may include the use of a CPAP machine or a custom oral appliance from a sleep dentist. Both approaches aim to keep the airway open so patients are able to breathe easily throughout the night. Of course, strict and consistent compliance with treatment is important for the results to be truly effective.

Other steps you can take that might improve the quality of your sleep include:

• Quitting smoking
• Avoiding excessive consumption of alcohol
• Getting enough physical activity
• Keeping your stress levels under control
• Investing in a premium mattress and bedding

High-quality sleep could help you to stay young! Do all you can to manage your sleep apnea so you can enjoy the best health possible.

Meet the Practice

Dr. Ivan Paskalev is an experienced sleep apnea dentist who specializes in providing oral appliance therapy to help patients find freedom from OSA and hopefully, reverse their biological age in the process. If you suspect you are not breathing properly at night, he and our team can help you determine the cause of the problem and recommend your next steps. Contact our Eugene office at 541-246-8284.