07 Jun Want a better sex life? Another benefit to use CPAP for patients with obstructive sleep apnoea
It has been said that obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) reduces sexual quality of life as a result of reduced libido and intimacy, erectile dysfunction, and several other mechanisms. CPAP machines are the most common and effective treatment known for obstructive sleep apnoea. Patients need to wear a mask at bedtime which delivers constant and steady air pressure while a person sleeps, to prevent their airway from collapsing as they sleep. This improves and prevents a number of complications associated with sleep apnoea, including daytime fatigue, high blood pressure, and sexual dysfunction.
A new study, published recently in JAMA Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, looked at the effectiveness of CPAP machines in improving the sexual quality of life of 182 patients (115 men and 67 women) recently diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnoea. These patients answered a quality-of-life survey that included questions about their sex life, including the ability to have sex and their desire for sex. This showed that successful continuous positive airway pressure use may be associated with better improvements in sexual quality of life, specifically in women. The same benefit was not seen in men, however.
The use of CPAP treatment was objectively measured by the number of hours of use per night. Users of CPAP were defined as patients who used CPAP treatment for more than 4 hours per night, and nonusers were defined as patients who used CPAP treatment for fewer than 0.5 hours per night.
Still, “this [study] provides further evidence that if patients have problems with their sleep, they should be evaluated by their provider because treatment of their sleep apnoea can have tremendous benefit in their lives all around,” said lead researcher Dr Sebastian Jara, an otolaryngologist of the University of Washington, Seattle.