As more people are being treated for sleep apnea, it’s a disorder that’s increasingly being investigated by researchers. A new study revealed at the recent American Stroke Association’s Conference shows that sleep apnea may cause what are sometimes called “silent strokes”. By using brain imaging it was found that those participants of the study who suffered from sleep apnea had also had some sort of small (or silent) stroke that showed on the brain scan. In addition, the more severe the patient’s sleep apnea was, the more silent strokes showed on the brain scans. In the end the researchers noted that although this study does show a strong link between the common sleep disorder and silent strokes, this does not mean that one necessarily causes the other.