Ignored and Undiagnosed: Sleep Apnea Threatens Women's Cognitive Health

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Jul 22, 2025, 11:05 ET

Alzheimer's disease affects more than 6 million Americans, and emerging research identifies Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) as a significant, modifiable risk factor. Interrupted breathing during sleep can impair memory and accelerate cognitive decline, with growing evidence linking poor sleep to an increased risk of dementia. In response, Vivos Therapeutics is offering innovative, airway-centered treatments aimed at improving sleep quality and supporting long-term brain health.

LITTLETON, Colo., July 22, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The possibility of a dementia diagnosis may have a new origin, according to a recent study from UC Irvine. Medical research shows a troubling connection between the severity of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) during REM sleep and increased risk of verbal memory decline in older adults—an early indicator of Alzheimer's disease.⁽¹⁾ This is where key specialists like Vivos Therapeutics step in, offering focused treatments to fight OSA and its other ramifications.

"These findings not only underscore the urgent need for early intervention in OSA but also present a critical opportunity to modify previously intractable risk factors and potentially alter the devastating trajectory of cognitive decline", states Kirk Huntsman, CEO of Vivos Therapeutics, a leading innovator in medical technology for sleep and breathing health.

An Alarming Link and Its Ramifications

The UC Irvine study that links dementia with OSA delivers a powerful and sobering message: a direct and concerning correlation exists between the frequency and intensity of REM-related apnea events and the subsequent decline in verbal memory function. This is reinforced by findings from Michigan Medicine, which indicate that older women with known or suspected OSA are more likely to exhibit signs or receive a diagnosis of dementia in the years ahead, compared to their male counterparts. ⁽²⁾

Menopause May Be a Hidden Factor

Another contributing factor to this diagnosis is menopause, which may help explain the gender disparity in sleep apnea's impact on dementia risk. Hormonal changes during this phase—especially declining estrogen—may increase susceptibility to OSA and dementia.⁽³⁾A Sleep Advance's study found that by age 80, women with sleeps apnea had nearly double the dementia risk of 5% compared to men. With up to 90% of OSA cases undiagnosed, researchers call for proactive screening in high-risk groups like postmenopausal women.

More Studies, One Common Factor: Timely Action

Beyond the UC Irvine findings, a growing body of evidence confirms the strong connection between OSA and elevated Alzheimer's risk. These studies underscore a critical takeaway: early diagnosis and intervention aren't just helpful—they can be life-changing. Timely treatment, particularly with therapies like CPAP, has been shown to preserve cognitive function and enhance quality of life. Experts like Vivos Therapeutics play a vital role by addressing the root cause of OSA with targeted, non-invasive solutions.

OSA Raises Dementia Risk 27% in Seniors: A study published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine of 20,000+ seniors found OSA increased dementia risk by 27%, even after accounting for other health factors like age, sex, race, education, and comorbidities.⁽⁴⁾
Sleep Apnea Tied to Alzheimer's Markers: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)-backed research found severe OSA patients had elevated levels of beta-amyloid—key indicators of Alzheimer's.⁽⁵⁾Disrupted sleep hampers the brain's ability to clear toxins.
CPAP May Boost Cognition in Alzheimer's: Alzheimer's patients using CPAP for three weeks showed better memory, attention, and executive function. ⁽⁶⁾
Older Women With OSA Face Double Dementia Risk: UCSF researchers found elderly women with sleep-disordered breathing were 85% more likely to develop dementia—mainly due to oxygen deprivation during sleep. ⁽⁷⁾

Vivos Expands Rapidly, Targeting Sleep Apnea and Its Implications

As the OSA-dementia connection becomes clearer, Vivos Therapeutics is scaling efforts to meet demand. In partnership with the Centers for Sleep and Airway Medicine and Rebis Health, Vivos is expanding access to non-invasive, FDA-cleared treatments for sleep-disordered breathing.

Vivos empowers providers—primary care doctors, neurologists, dentists, and sleep specialists—with tools to diagnose and treat OSA earlier. Its solutions aim not just to relieve symptoms, but to protect long-term brain health by restoring healthy sleep and airway function.

"With Alzheimer's cases rising fast, this is a wake-up call," said Huntsman. "That's why we're expanding sleep centers and training more providers to identify and treat those at high risk—especially patients with early cognitive decline."

About VIVOS THERAPEUTICS

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) affects over 1 billion people worldwide, yet 90% remain undiagnosed and unaware of their condition. This chronic disorder is not just a sleep issue—it's closely linked to nearly every modern chronic health condition. While the medical community has made strides in treating sleep disorders, breathing and sleep health remain areas that are still not fully understood. As a result, solutions are often mechanistic and fail to address the root causes of OSA.

Vivos Therapeutics, founded in 2016 and based in Littleton, CO, is changing this. Through innovative technology, education, and partnerships with dentists, functional medicine doctors, and sleep specialists, Vivos is empowering healthcare providers to more thoroughly address the complex needs of patients. Their groundbreaking device is the only FDA 510(k) cleared technology for treating severe OSA and the first to receive clearance for treating moderate to severe OSA in children.

The Vivos Method offers a unique, clinically effective solution that is nonsurgical, noninvasive, and nonpharmaceutical, providing hope for patients with mild to severe OSA. Vivos: Breathe New Life. For more information, visit www.vivos.com.

References

"UC Irvine-led study links sleep apnea severity during REM stage to verbal memory decline." UC Irvine News, news.uci.edu/2024/05/14/uc-irvine-led-study-links-sleep-apnea-severity-during-rem-stage-to-verbal-memory-decline/.
Fromson, Norah. "Sleep apnea contributes to dementia in older adults, especially women" 29 Oct. 2024, michiganmedicine.org/health-lab/sleep-apnea-contributes-dementia-older-adults-especially-women.
Braley J, Tiffany, Lyu Xiru, Levi Dunietz Galit, Schulz Paul C, Bove Riley, Chervin Ronald D, Paulson Henry L, Shedden Kerby "Sex-specific dementia risk in known or suspected obstructive sleep apnea: a 10-year longitudinal population-based study" 22 Oct. 2024 academic.oup.com/sleepadvances/article/5/1/zpae077/7831433
Monica M. Shieu, MS, PhD, Galit Levi Dunietz, MPH, PhD, Henry L. Paulson, MD, PhD, Ronald D. Chervin, MD, Tiffany J. Braley, MD, MS JSCM "The association between obstructive sleep apnea risk and cognitive disorders: a population-based study" 1 April, 2022 jcsm.aasm.org/doi/full/10.5664/jcsm.9832
"Study provides new evidence that sleep apnea may increase risk of Alzheimer's disease" November 10, 2017 nhlbi.nih.gov/news/2017/study-provides-new-evidence-sleep-apnea-may-increase-risk-alzheimers-disease
Sonia Ancoli-Israel 1, Barton W Palmer, Jana R Cooke, Jody Corey-Bloom, Lavinia Fiorentino, Loki Natarajan, Lianqi Liu, Liat Ayalon, Feng He, Jose S Loredo "Cognitive effects of treating obstructive sleep apnea in Alzheimer's disease: a randomized controlled study" PubliMed September 15, 2007 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18795985/
O'Brien Jennifer "Sleep Apnea Linked to Increased Risk of Dementia in Elderly Women" August 9, 2011 ucsf.edu/news/2011/08/98380/sleep-apnea-linked-increased-risk-dementia-elderly-women?