Aging …show more content…
During sleep, “growth hormone is released which helps to repair damaged tissue, enables the brain to replenish and allows energy to store and strengthen the immune system (“Lecture 4”, 2013). An individual who has sleep apnea does not undergo sleep long enough for the body to begin this healing process which is then believed to have a negative effect on aging. Studies have been done to see if sleep quality influences the aging process in an individual through the use of The Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and global scores. Sleep quality is a concept that includes components which look at “the satisfaction of sleep, sleep efficiency, and the impact that sleep has on daytime functioning” (Mellor et al., 2014). The study of sleep apnea and aging can be controversial because changes in sleep are a part of the normal aging process so researchers must look at sleep quality as a whole and examine how poor sleep due to sleep disorders can impact