Your Sleep Apnea Doctor May Help You Improve Your Sex Life
Posted: May 26, 2020
Did you know that sleep apnea could be negatively impacting your sex life? Your sleep apnea doctor may help you improve your sexual health by treating your sleep apnea and helping you get a better night’s sleep. Sleep apnea is a condition that affects many people worldwide. Men in particular are at a higher risk of having or developing sleep apnea. In addition to daytime fatigue, morning headaches, and snoring, sleep apnea can also affect your libido, erectile function, and relationship satisfaction. Sleep apnea treatment helps many patients improve these issues and enjoy higher rates of sexual activity and sexual satisfaction when they follow their sleep plan properly. Therefore, if you believe you have sleep apnea, visit a sleep apnea clinic for diagnosis and treatment.
Sleep apnea can affect your sex life in many different ways. Talk to your sleep apnea doctor about treating your sleep disorder and how it may help improve your erectile function, libido, and more.
How Sleep Apnea Affects Your Sex Life
Your sexual health is an important component of your overall wellbeing. An active, healthy sex life often results in higher quality of life scores. Therefore, if you believe sleep apnea could be affecting your sexual satisfaction, your sleep apnea doctor may help you improve your overall quality of life. Sleep apnea can affect your sex life in many ways. For example, many men who have sleep apnea also have erectile dysfunction. A recent survey found that 46% of sleep apnea patients had erectile dysfunction. Additionally, 27% of the survey participants also noted that they had a low sex drive. Sleep apnea can also cause drowsiness and depressive symptoms that can also impact your sexual desire and intimate life.
Another component of your sex life is your partner. Partners of those with untreated sleep apnea also often experience sleep disruptions. This often leads to strained relationships, relationship dissatisfaction, and lower overall quality of life. Therefore, your sleep apnea could also affect your partner’s sex drive, creating a cycle of relationship and sexual problems. However, sleep apnea treatment may help you improve these issues and lead a better sex life.
Sleep Apnea Treatment May Improve Many Elements that Affect Your Sexual Health
The gold standard for sleep apnea treatment is a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device. Your sleep apnea doctor may recommend CPAP therapy to help maintain pressure in your airways and prevent them from constricting while you sleep. CPAP therapy can improve your sleep, quality of life, and even your sex life. Some positive effects of CPAP use that many patients experience include improvements in erectile function, libido, sexual behavior, and their relationship with their romantic partners. In fact, many patients after just six months of sleep apnea treatment report that their sexual function and sexual satisfaction improve.
Erectile Function
Erectile dysfunction is common among men with sleep apnea. Many patients report to their sleep apnea doctor that CPAP therapy has improved their erectile function. A recent survey found that 41% of men with sleep apnea and erectile dysfunction reported that their ED disappeared after using their CPAP device regularly to treat sleep apnea. Another interesting finding from the study was that there was a connection between erectile function improvements and how many hours a night the patients were using their CPAP device. Therefore, the study suggests that adhering to your CPAP therapy plan may correspond to better erectile function for sleep apnea. Generally, your sleep apnea doctor recommends using your device every night for the entire night for the best results.
Libido
In addition to erectile dysfunction, many sleep apnea sufferers also notice that they have a low sex drive. Low libido among sleep apnea patients is also quite common. Sleep apnea can affect your testosterone levels, which are a major component of your sex drive. Additionally, sleep deprivation and a lack of sleep also tends to lower libido. Sleep apnea causes you to wake up multiple times throughout the night when you stop breathing. Therefore, sleep apnea patients often have fragmented, poor quality sleep. This can lead to energy and low libido for many sleep apnea sufferers. However, your sleep apnea clinic can help with these symptoms by treating the underlying cause of low libido. Sleep apnea treatment can help improve your nervous system, cardiovascular health, and hormone levels, which can all impact your sexual health. This may explain why men often notice improved libido after starting CPAP therapy.
Behavior
Your behavior is also a big component of your sex life. Sleep apnea can cause depressive symptoms, fatigue, and other symptoms that can affect your social and sexual behavior. Oftentimes, if you constantly feel exhausted, it can be difficult to enjoy sexual activity. Men with sleep apnea may notice improvements in their sexual behavior and increased sexual activity after beginning a treatment plan for their sleep apnea. Oftentimes, this is because they feel better rested, more energetic, and even happier. Your sleep apnea doctor can help address these common symptoms of sleep apnea to help you feel better.
Partners
While the positive effects on your own health can be immense, sleep apnea treatment may also help your romantic partners. Partners of those with untreated sleep apnea may also experience sleep interruptions throughout the night. This is often due to snoring and apnea events that wake them up. In fact, untreated sleep apnea often negatively impacts sleep apnea patients’ partners, especially when it comes to mood, overall quality of life, and relationship satisfaction.
When your partner is irritable, tired, and unhappy with the relationship, it can be difficult for you both to enjoy an active sex life. Interestingly, when patients start CPAP therapy, their partners also notice positive effects, such as relationship satisfaction. Researchers recently looked at how CPAP therapy affected female partners of sleep apnea patients. The study found that their female partners scored higher in their overall sexual function after the sleep apnea patient started CPAP therapy. So, your sleep apnea treatment plan could also help your partner enjoy intimacy with you more.
Talk to Your Sleep Apnea Doctor About Your Risk Factors
If you believe you have sleep apnea, your sleep apnea doctor can help you with diagnosis and treatment. There are several factors that may put you at a higher risk for sleep apnea, such as obesity and age. One easy way to determine your risk factor of having sleep apnea is to take the STOPBANG test. The STOPBANG test is a simple eight question test that rates your likelihood of having sleep apnea. The higher you score, the more likely it is that you suffer from sleep apnea and could benefit from talking to our sleep apnea doctor.
Additionally, if you notice that you have many of the symptoms of sleep apnea or if your partner mentions that you stop breathing during the night, you could benefit from taking a home sleep apnea test. This is an easy, unobtrusive diagnostic tool that allows your sleep apnea doctor to analyze your sleep data to diagnose you with sleep apnea. Then, your sleep apnea clinic can set you up with a personalized treatment plan to help treat your symptoms.
At Low T Center, our goal is to help men feel their best. Therefore, we offer convenient, affordable, and accessible men’s healthcare. Our providers take time to treat underlying causes of your symptoms. We customize a treatment plan to help you achieve your health goals. Schedule an appointment online for a comprehensive health assessment or order a convenient home sleep test online to see if sleep apnea is causing your symptoms. Take the first step toward better health.
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Disclaimer: This article is made available for general, entertainment and educational purposes only. The opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of Low T Center. You should always seek the advice of a licensed healthcare professional.