Treating sleep apnea in older adults may reduce risk of dementia, study finds By Megan Ziegler Researchers from the Michigan Medicine's Sleep Disorders Center made the discovery. A new study found that treating sleep apnea could help reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and other kinds of dementia in older adults. Researchers from Michigan Medicine’s Sleep Disorders Centers looked at Medicare claims from more than 50,000 people across the country ages 65 and older who had been diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea. Obstructive sleep apnea is defined as a condition in which the upper airway collapses repeatedly throughout the night, preventing normal breathing during sleep, according to the researchers. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says persons with sleep apnea characteristically make periodic gasping or "snorting" noises, during which their sleep is momentarily interrupted.