Aging. It will happen to all of us, but hopefully at the right speed. Factors like diet, exercise, genetics, and other conditions can often affect what is known as biological aging, where your biological age can be older or younger than your actual age. Now, according to a new study, there’s yet another condition that can cause your biological age to accelerate: sleep apnea.Sleep apnea is a condition that causes the affected person to stop and restart breathing throughout the night. While it may seem like harmless snoring, sleep apnea is not harmless. It can worsen many serious medical conditions and cause depression and cognitive impairment.Now a new study has found that having sleep apnea can accelerate the aging process and cause your biological age to increase.In the study, researchers examined the connection between sleep apnea and what is known as epigenetic age acceleration. What they found was that of the 24 study participants, those with sleep apnea had higher epigenetic age, but after a year of CPAP use, they were all able to reduce their epigenetic ages.So, what exactly caused the epigenetic age acceleration in the first place? Researchers say that it’s caused by chronic inflammation and oxidative stress caused by sleep apnea. This is due in part to the low oxygen levels of those with sleep apnea while they sleep.But what happens when you don’t use your CPAP machine? This is a common problem for many people who find CPAP therapy uncomfortable, especially the CPAP mask. After all, CPAP therapy only works if you use it. For those who don’t adhere to their CPAP therapy, Dr. Peterson has a solution: a mandibular advancement device or MAD. Mandibular advancement devices work differently than CPAP but have a similar goal: to prop open the airway as you sleep. The difference is that while CPAP uses forced air, a mandibular advancement device props the mouth open naturally.While mandibular advancement devices were not tested in the study, because it has the same results as a CPAP machine, it certainly could help lower your epigenetic age, however, more research is needed.To learn more about mandibular advancement devices from Dr. Peterson, please contact the office to schedule a consultation today!