Sleep apnea is a common sleep-related disorder affecting more than 10% of people in the United States. Sleep apnea patients experience breathing interruptions when sleeping that cause poor quality sleep, snoring, and daytime sleepiness. Continuous positive air pressure (CPAP) therapy is a common treatment for obstructive sleep apnea. However, there are more health benefits of cpap bronx, including improvements in health conditions linked with obstructive sleep apnea. Here is a look at the potential benefits of treating sleep apnea with CPAP therapy
Less Daytime Sleepiness
Sleep apnea disrupts your night sleep and decreases the time spent sleeping at night, causing daytime sleepiness. Some individuals with sleep apnea experience excessive daytime sleepiness, where the symptoms might persist for over three months. Fortunately, CPAP therapy can help resolve daytime sleepiness in more than 75% of sleep apnea patients.
Reduced Risks of Car Accidents
Obstructive sleep apnea causes insufficient sleep and increases the risk of car accidents. With sufficient quality sleep, you will respond faster, have increased difficulty making decisions, and struggle to concentrate on more than one task, which affects driving. Drivers who use CPAP therapy treatment have a reduced risk of engaging in car accidents.
Improved Heart Health
Research studies show that CPAP therapy can enhance cardiovascular health in obstructive sleep apnea patients. Sleep apnea is associated with several heart-related conditions, including heart failure, coronary artery disease, atrial fibrillation, and bradycardia. CPAP therapy to treat sleep apnea can control or prevent most heart issues.
Lower Risk of Stroke
Sleep apnea is one of the risk factors for stroke. While there is insufficient research on whether CPAP therapy prevents the first stroke, several studies reveal that the treatment highly lowers the likelihood of getting a second stroke. This is because CPAP therapy decreases high blood pressure, one of the risk factors for stroke.
Less Snoring
One of the common symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea is snoring. Sleep apnea patients are sometimes unaware of their snoring behavior. However, the snoring might be disruptive to individuals they share a bed or room with. Snoring happens when your airways narrow and the tissues in the airway vibrate. The CPAP mask prevents your airway from closing; hence, patients will snore less. In some cases, the snoring may resolve.
Controlled High Blood Pressure
Several studies link hypertension to sleep apnea. More than 70% of hard-to-treat high blood pressure patients have sleep apnea. The good news is that undertaking CPAP treatment can help hypertension patients significantly manage the condition.
Enhanced Sex Life
According to statistics, around 12% of men under 60 and around 30% of men older than 60 experience erectile dysfunction. The condition is closely associated with sleep apnea. Research has revealed that treating sleep apnea with CPAP therapy might help you regain normal sexual function, enhancing your sex life.
Ultimately, CPAP is one of the effective treatment therapies for obstructive sleep apnea. Other than treating sleep apnea symptoms, it also offers other health benefits such as improved heart health, sex life, and controlled hypertension. However, the treatment may not be appropriate for everyone, such as people over 80 years. If you are considering CPAP as a treatment for your sleep apnea, consult with your doctor about the benefits and risks of the therapy.
