Cognitive Complaints and Comorbidities in Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

Overview

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is highly prevalent sleep disorder that causes sleep fragmentation, frequent awakenings, and intermittent hypoxia. Both OSA and cognitive decline increase in prevalence with factors such as increasing age and body mass. Multiple areas of cognition can be affected, including attention, executive function, memory, as well as emotional functioning through direct effects on brain health. Although positive airway pressure therapy has shown to improve some aspects of cognitive functioning, it does not fully alleviate all cognitive complaints. Inclusion of complementary approaches to comorbidities associated with OSA could potentially enhance treatment outcomes.