Red flag signs of common sleep disorder affecting millions that 'raises risk of dementia'

Health experts have issued a warning as a common sleep disorder that affects millions of Brits can raise your risk of some devastating conditions. The disorder, symptoms of which include loud snoring and waking up a lot, can lead to dementia, according to research. They have also warned that untreated obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) can result in dangerous heart issues.

The Sleep Apnoea Trust states that around 10 million people in the UK are living with OSA, with four million experiencing “moderate” or “severe” symptoms. OSA causes the walls of the throat to become narrower as you sleep. This results in a range of symptoms such as loud snoring, waking up a lot and making gasping, snorting or choking noises while the person rests.

As a result this can also lead to tiredness during the day and finding it difficult to concentrate. The NHS says that OSA “needs to be treated” because it can lead to “more serious problems”. This can include dementia, The Mirror reports.

One study, published in Nature Communications journal in 2022, found a link between a lack of oxygen to the brain during sleep and Alzheimer’s disease in mice. One of the study authors, Professor Elizabeth Coulson from the University of Queensland, explained: "We developed a novel way to induce sleep-disrupted breathing and found the mice displayed exacerbated pathological features of Alzheimer’s disease. "It demonstrated that hypoxia – when the brain is deprived of oxygen – caused the same s.