Sleep Apnoea And Impotence

Sleep apnoea is a sleep disorder that affects many members of our population, and it is connected with a number of health risks.

A shocking new revelation has been revealed for those afflicted with sleep apnoea: the risk of impotence in men that have sleep apnoea is more prevalent then we may have realized.

Study Conducted By Dr. John P. Mulhall

A study that was conducted has shown that out of thirty male sufferers of obstructive sleep apnoea, a full twenty four of them also experienced problems with erectile dysfunction.

That represents a whopping eighty percent of the study having a prevalence of erectile dysfunction! The study was led by Dr. John P. Mulhall of the Weill Medical College of Cornell University, which is located in New York.

Sleep apnoea is characterized by a lack of ability to breathe while asleep. The most commonly diagnosed type of sleep apnoea is known as obstructive sleep apnoea, which can occur due to a number of factors, which includes:

• Obesity
• Nasal deformity
• Large adenoids
• Tonsils
• Many other causes

Sufferers of apnoea have a blockage of the airway which may cause them to be not capable to breathe while asleep. These episodic periods of breathing usually last longer than 10 seconds and may occur many times throughout the night.

This leaves the afflicted person with many problems due to the fact that they are not getting the REM sleep that their body needs. They may be irritable, drowsy, and unable to concentrate while in the workplace, causing some major problems.

The lack of attention displayed in those with apnoea gives them a steep increase in the risk of getting in an automobile accident. Also, people with obstructive sleep apnoea face greater risks of high blood pressure, stroke, and heart problems.

This is due to the lack of oxygen being taken in by the body in the evening, which is the same aspect of apnoea which is believed to cause erectile dysfunction in those afflicted.

Explanation For Impotence Caused Due To Sleep Apnoea

Explanations that doctors offer for the erectile dysfunction of those with sleep apnoea include numerous hypotheses. One of the most normally accepted of the theories is that men naturally have erections during REM sleep, and a lack of this significant sleep can result in less REM erections.

Body mass index is another factor that may play into the risk of erectile dysfunction in sleep apnoea sufferers. It’s been long known that obstructive sleep apnoea commonly affects the overweight due to the fatty tissues found in the throat.

Overweight men have also been shown to have a higher risk of erectile dysfunction, which leaves many subscribers to this theory wondering if it is simply a problem connected with those who are obese.

Last but not least comes the postulation that levels of testosterone are lowered in those who experience sleep apnoea, which may be responsible for the lack of erection. The debate is still open, and no clear cause for the dysfunction has been exactly determined.

Hopefully, more studies will be conducted in this area so that we can more easily isolate the factors that lead to erectile dysfunction in those with sleep apnoea.