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The mask-and-hose contraption known as a CPAP machine may not look alluring, but the relief it provides for sleep apnea can help improve erectile dysfunction and boost users' sex lives.
A CPAP device, the Darth Vader-like mask used to ease breathing in sleep apnea sufferers, might be the least attractive thing a man can wear at night, but it could wind up improving his sex life, according to a new study released today at an annual meeting of sleep experts.
In yet another example of how the human penis can serve as an important health indicator, a team of doctors from the Sleep Disorders Center of the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center has found that erectile dysfunction is common in younger men with sleep apnea, but that E.D. -- and libido -- improves in men who use the CPAP, or continuous positive airway pressure machine.
They presented their results today at the meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies in Boston.
Over the past few years, medical science has repeatedly shown that how a man’s penis is working can reflect how the rest of his body is working. E.D. can be an early sign of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure and poor fitness, among other ailments.
So when army captain Dr. Joseph Dombrowsky looked at a small handful of studies that had linked apnea to E.D., he realized that he had access to a pool of possible test subjects -- military beneficiaries newly diagnosed with the sleep disorder -- that he could use to explore the link.
Dombrowsky and his colleagues recruited 92 men with an average age of nearly 46 who had both a new diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea, or OSA, and who were starting therapy with CPAP machines.
The CPAP is a mask-and-tube contraption that few might call sexy. Worn during sleep, it sends a steady flow of air through the mask into breathing passages to keep airways open and restore depleted oxygen levels. It’s the most common and effective treatment for OSA, which occurs when tissue in the back of the throat collapses during sleep, blocking air, disrupting sleep and boosting the risk of health problems such as heart disease and stroke.
The men in the study averaged 38 apnea events per hour, Dombrowsky found. That’s pretty bad. Severe apnea is defined as 30 or more such events per hour.
Using a well-established sexual function survey, 43.5 percent of the men reported erectile dysfunction. Unlike previous studies, the E.D. was broken down into three varieties: mild, moderate and severe. The men were reassessed at one-, three- and six-months of CPAP therapy.
Dombrowksy was looking for what he called “minimal clinically important differences” of CPAP use.
“That’s not just a change in a score, a statistic,” he explained in an interview, “but a difference patients really notice and will appreciate.”
More than half of patients with mild E.D., or some 54 percent, noticed an improvement after CPAP use. Nearly 29 percent of those with moderate E.D. improved, and more than 27 percent of those with severe E.D. saw a boost. Sexual desire also tended to improve, Dombrowsky found.
Drugs like Viagra have been shown to work more powerfully to improve E.D. than CPAP therapy, but Dombrowsky speculates that by starting CPAP before the condition gets worse, some men might be able to skip the pills.
While stressing that he was speaking for himself, not for his research team, the army, or the U.S. government, Dombrowsky said he believes that CPAP therapy might be a good early therapy for E.D., particularly in younger men.
“What the results say to me is that E.D. is a progressive disease, as is sleep apnea. So if we were to intervene earlier, we might be able to stave off the progression of erectile dysfunction.”
His study raises the issue of why apnea might lead to E.D. in the first place. The most obvious explanation is that the link is related to the way apnea creates low oxygen levels in the blood. But that may or may not be correct. Dombrowsky pointed out that during REM sleep, men get erections in something like a nocturnal workout of penis plumbing. Because apnea interferes with REM sleep, fragmenting sleep patterns, penises may not be getting this workout, leading to dysfunction.
Dombrowksy said he plans to continue the work with larger numbers of men in hopes of answering some of these questions.
Brian Alexander (www.BrianRAlexander.com) is co-author, with Larry Young PhD., of "The Chemistry Between Us: Love Sex and the Science of Attraction," (www.TheChemistryBetweenUs.com) to be published Sept. 13.
Related stories:
- School backs off condom give-away at prom
- Too little sleep? Stroke risk spikes in healthy adults
- Watching porn may shut down part of your brain
- Men who cheat on their wives more likely to die of a heart attack
A new report finds college-aged men are taking Viagra -- some to treat erectile dysfunction and others to improve performance. WMAQ-TV's Nesita Kwan reports.
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"In yet another example of how the human penis can serve as an important health indicator,"
Lol.
Well, when you think about it, you really can stick it in all the same places doctors will stick a thermometer.
The mask shown in this article's photo is so ungodly uncomfortable.
Spend $200 and get yourself a CPAPro mask. Infinitely more comfortable than the strap-on masks. Attaches to any CPAP machine.
Click on this link to get to the CPAP Pro website
Spiderman: I don't know about a CPAPro mask, but I hae been using what are called "nasal pillows" since the mid-90's. It's basically just a hose that fits over my head that ends in a fitting that has two soft rubber openings that fit into my nostrils. The openings/fittngs ("pillows") are sized for the individual's nostril size to optimize fit (and minimize leaks). It's all held in place by a comfy neopreme harness over my head. I can move into virtually any position and still have everything secure. It's pretty good. I sleep well, and with a disordered breathing index of 90 apnea events per hour, that's saying something.
Fred, I tried to look up "nasal pillows" but I found a whole bunch of products that use the same name, and I am really interested in what you mentioned. Could you give me a brand name/model# to target my search better?
The virtue of the CPAP Pro is that there are no straps to leave marks on the face of us fat-faced apnea people. If the product you use is strap-less, I'd sure like to know about it.
I was also one of those very high index apnea patients. Us flabby-airways dudes gotta stick together...
The CPAP Pro uses Nasal pillows as well, it's just the term used to describe the fitting on the end. There are several different brands of CPAP interfaces that use nasal pillows.
I've very little experience with the CPAP Pro, how does it stay attached without straps? Does it use some sort of mouth piece? Is mouth breathing a problem?
# ". . . yet another example of how the human penis can serve as an important health indicator. . ."
Only men think that.
someguy, see the link to cpap pro I placed 5 comments up. Uses a mouthpiece. Works great, i lvoe my cpap pro.
Oh......, you're supposed to take the CPAP off when you have sex? No wonder why it looks like a tornado in a hospital room when we're doin it with both of our masks on! I usually put on a black cape and talk like Darth Vader too
Ohhh........................so you're supposed to take the mask off to have sex! Damn, no wonder it looks like a tornado in a hospital room when we do the horizontal hula. It really gets hot when I put on the Darth Vader mask and bring out the light saber!
Damn this thing keeps posting my reply.
It's best to wait until after you've fully recovered from your stroke before posting on the internet.
Anyone else read "Not so sexy CRAP can boost men's sex lives" and do a double-take?
I really thought msnbc was scraping the bottom of the barrel with a coprophilia story. I was disappointed when I realized I read it wrong.
Oh please......as someone (female) who has to use a cpap for sleep apnea and I'm not overweight, etc., I can just see the rush to the sleep clinics and doctors for this new 'quick fix'. I guess the little 'blue pill' just isn't enough. I can just see the technicians who do the sleep studies having a blast just waiting for the night-time erection to appear in men. You have to remember, your entire sleeping session is being recorded and watched and monitored, etc. Once you are all wired up and the electrodes are placed on your body, you have straps across your chest, oxygen monitor on your finger and the most uncomfortable mask strapped tight to your face, etc. Believe me, erotic it ain't.... I wonder if the insurance companies will cover sleep apnea testing and cpap supplies for erectile dysfunction only. Never mind the truly real medical reasons why one would have sleep apnea and need this medical equipment so they don't stop breathing at night and suffer a stroke or heart attack because of a lack of oxygen...
Mary: As a 70-year-old male who suffers from severe sleep apnea (90 episodes per hour), I - for one - can assure you that sexual performance is the last thing on my mind when I put my "nose hose" on to sleep. All I want is a good night's sleep. Before I was diagnosed, I had strange symptoms. One was actually dreaming when I was awake, and at work. I thought I was having hallucinations. But it turns out that my apnea was so bad that I had little - if any - dream time when I was "asleep." As a result, there were times when I was awake that my brain apparently decided something like "Heck ith it. I'm going to dream - now." And I did. Strange, especially when you're poring over manuscript for a technical manual on an arcane subject. Actualy, there are times when I'm afraid to sleep without my mask because I know that I will shortly wake violently, gasping for air. As you probably are well aware, t'ain't nice waking up like that. Add to that the fact that I have - on several occasions - awakened myself with the racket of my own snoring (talk about embarrasing!). My CPAP means peace and quiet for not only me, but also for everybody else in the house. When you stop breathing in you sleep every 40 seconds, for some 20 seconds, you can be sure - as you already know in your situation - that the sleep is not good. It's awful! For anyone who's not all that familiar with the subject: My apanea means that I get the equivalent of 20 seconds of sleep - 720 times in an 8-hour sleep session. I don't believe that the sleep is really accumultive, but stands as individual episones. And people wonder why sleep apnea is bad for your health. And yes, there are two types of apnea. One is obstructive, where soft tissue falls to the back of your throat. (Body weight can be a factor here, but not necessarily). The other is central, where the brain forgets to tell the lungs to inhale. The breathing reflex goes awry. Thank God for CPAP! It keeps me breathing when I'm asleep! When I'm awake, my conscious mind does the job for me automatically.
Mary said: "I wonder if the insurance companies will cover sleep apnea testing and cpap supplies for erectile dysfunction only." Lol, humor with teeth. Nevertheless, I want one, I want it free and I want it now. Wait, what do I want? A boner, sex or a CPAP? And in what order?
Just remember the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which states that both the Magisterium “and the moral sense of the faithful have been in no doubt and have firmly maintained that masturbation is an intrinsically and gravely disordered action.”
But is it okay if you do it according to a strictly ordered schedule? E.g., every other day, .9 minutes after removing the CPAP?
Mary,
Rest assured, we sleep techs know what men do while in stage rem. Of the thousands of sleep studies I have conducted, I have never once noticed as I am a professional. The videos are running of course, however, I am way more interested on what I'm seeing on my screen.
Good sleep to all!
If you want to take advantage of the improved libido when you are awake, don't turn toward your wife while you're sleeping with a CPAP mask. When it leaks a little (and it always does) it will blow cold air on her face and she won't thank you for it. Worrying about which way I'm turned and fooling around with the mask and tubing almost keeps me awake as much as the apnea.
Skane: That"leakage" you mention is exhaust air. When you exhale, that "used" air has to go somewhere. There is a small hole in your CPAP that allows the used air to go out into the rooom (just like when you exhale). Otherwise, you might well be breathing recycled stale air that builds up its Carbon Dioxide content until it is very unhealthy for you. Be glad for that "leak." Your wife should be glad for it, as well as for the CPAP. Otherwise, she couild well be a widow.
Fred Craven- you are totally correct on you explanation of what the exhaust air is on the tube. Not only does my husband work for a home medical equipment company that deals with cpaps but he also just started using one a couple of weeks ago for severe sleep apena. On his second night using it I woke him up and said I could hear and feel air coming from the hose and thought something was wrong with his machine and he explained it to me just as you did. So now that I know it needs to vent so he doesn't breath carbon dioxide and in turn die I feel much better. Also he stored like a bear and I am so happy because now I don't have to wear ear plugs to sleep anymore. Even though the things is ugly and makes him look like an alien it is much better than him stop breathing all the time.
I love the constant humming noise the thing makes.As a matter of fact a friend of mine when he would get up before me would leave it on for me just to have the humming noise. I sleep more soundly with a constant background noise. At home I always sleep with a fan, winter or summer, just for the humming noise and the CPAP sound works just as well. Weird!
aaaahhhh.....uuuuuuhhhhh.... ooooooofffff..... Luke, come over to the Dark Side....
I do not know much about these devices, but i suspect they increase oxygen intake, and it is known that an increased oxygen supply in the blood improves everything including speeding up healing, fighting off infections, and making the healing process more efficient. If this device does increase the oxygen supply in the blood, then this result is not surprising.
They only increase oxygen increase by clearing away obstruction in the airway to allow more uniform breathing, and therefore more uniform gas exchange.
Using a CPAP without having sleep disordered breathing will in no way increase oxygen intake.
Another reason to wear a CPAP, guys! Many people would rather not sleep with it because they don't want to depend on a machine for their breathing, or find it unattractive or uncomfortable. I bet this news will be yet another motivator to want to wear the CPAP aside from the obvious reason...keeping you from dying or having brain damage due to lack of oxygen.
Hot-in-...: I agree. The risk of "waking up" with rigor mortis, or with brain damage does provide motivation to wear the CPAP. It ain't pretty, but who cares! I live alone, and wake up alone. But I wake up with my brain and mind functioninig "normally." Thanks for beig on "our" side.
I have visions of Dennis Hopper in "Blue Velvet"...
I have used a CPAP for over two years. While it does help I find it's cumbersom, noisey, air constantly leaks (not the exhaust), and wakes me up several time a night. I have pulled the machine off the stand more than I care to count, and constantly have the hose wrapped around my neck. Personally, I'm seeking other medical alternatives for the reasons above, plus it makes traveling a pain, you really cant' backpack with it, and it could derail my retirement plans of joining the Peace Corps. I don't have to worry about ED since I'm a woman. But I do find it insulting the medical field, yet again, ties a medical treatment to a man's ability to have sex. Truly irritating.
JaniAnnD: From your description, it sounds as though you may be suffereing from another sleep disorder. I suggest you go and talk to a sleep specialist about your situation. The specialist and technicians might be able to make your CPAP fit properly. That will help. If you have another disorder, that might be addressable, too. But, no, they can't help the problem with travel. The CPAP, depending on which make and model, can be a royal pain to lug around when you're travelling. And, yes, they do require electricity to run. As to ability to have sex, WHO CARES! It's about sleep! And health!
i have very severe sleep apnea. i snored like a diesel truck.got the cpap about 6 monthes ago, best thing i ever did for me or my wife.i sleep better, and if i do get up to go pee , i can fall asleep much faster. the noise from the cpap is almost kinda soothing.mask does leak a little depending on position.what i do is use a soft feather pillow and bury my face on my side into it. that way the mask is tighter on my face without the headgear feeling too tight. 2 other benefits....i have bad allergies but the cpap has 2 intake filters which help alot.also i can pull the sheets completely over my head and still breath when my wife wants to watch late night tv or if she pisses me off.
I sleep with my face buried in the wifes breast and thus could probably use this strange looking device.
Or we could just learn to breath properly to get that needed oxygen instead.
Danny: How does one teach the central nervous system to "breathe normally?" If the breathing reflex doesn't work properly, there is no "learning" process that can correct it. Neither is there any surgery for it, nor any medication (so far as I know). Thank God there is CPAP. Oh! There is one surgery that can be used for SOME obstructive apnea, but it can make you sound very nasal. (No thanks) As I said: Thank God for CPAP!
I've been using CPAP for about 10 years (after having nose rebuilt) and can attest that there is NOTHING SEXY about wearing a CPAP.
As men grow older, several things occur: CPAP usage is more common, there is a lowering of testosterone, there is more restriction in blood flows. All are AGE related correlations; connecting ED with CPAP is a stretch at best.
There are currently various medicines out in the market for improving sexual drive. Various drugs like Viagra, Levitra, Cialis are used for the treatment which are branded drugs. Along with these, there are various generic drugs for better sexual drive like caverta ( ) Drugs for low libido, prostrate infection etc are sold out heavy in market along with sex booster drugs.
sorry here is the link Caverta For Impotence www.medstorerx.com/caverta.aspx