Sleep Apnea Linked to Faster Aging

A study published in Sleep found a connection between sleep apnea and accelerated aging, reports BedTimes . A total of 662 participants were monitored for breathing patterns, oxygen levels in the blood, heart rate, arm and leg movements, brain waves, and DNA methylation. "People's biological age might not be the same as their chronological age," noted Harvard Medical School's Xiaoyu Li. "Individuals whose biological age is higher than their chronological age exhibit age acceleration or fast aging. In our study, we found that more severe sleep-disordered breathing is associated with epigenetic age acceleration. Our data provide biological evidence supporting adverse physiological and health effects of untreated sleep-disordered breathing."