AlexWilliams wrote:Hi guys,
I have just been diagnosed with sleep apnea. Has anyone had any experience with this and the effects of treatment on erections? I think this has been a huge factor in my lack of libido and high blood pressure ... hoping the treatment might help. Any information much appreciated.
Alex
I am an apneac as well.
Apnea causes a form of sleep deprivation which has all sorts of health effects and (my opinion) even psychological effects (tiredness-related depression and lethargy are most obvious). Low libido seems obvious to me, though I have not researched that aspect in the medical journals. I bet there are studies, though.
Anecdotally, I will relate this: I was hospitalized for shoulder surgery and had a blood oxygen device on my forefinger to sound an alarm if my blood oxygen feel below a certain threshold. So, I experimented falling asleep with and without my CPAP. Without, the alarm would sound as I crossed into sleep. With, the alarm would not sound. Even though I felt the same in the morning (at home) whether or not I slept with the CPAP, (that is, I could not tell any difference in the morning or during the day) this was proof that the CPAP did make a difference.
Neither my libido nor my ED seemed to be affected by the CPAP (and by extension, my apnea), but neither did any other self-observed experience, so not conclusion can te drawn on that account. But my ED was pretty conclusively due to venous leakage anyway and my libido suppressed by aversion training from failing erection over 30 years of ED.
In conclusion, I would not expect apnea treatment to affect libido. But if it does, consider that to be the cherry on top of the OTHER beneficial effects - better blood pressure, more healthful sleep patterns, more energy during the day, etc.