Erectile Dysfunction

There is a relationship that's rarely talked about - that's the relationship between snoring, sleep apnea and erectile dysfunction (ED).

Apnea and ED

A recent article (1) published in the Journal of Urology in March 2008 reported that treatment of sleep apnea improves erectile function and recommended that physicians consider co-existing sleep disorders when evaluating patients with ED.IN an article published in the same journal in May of 2006 (2), the authors state that men with sleep apnea syndrome have a significant risk of erectile dysfunction and the the severity of the sleep apnea correlates strongly with the severity of the erectile dysfunction.

So there does seem to be a positive relationship between ED and sleep apnea.

What about snoring?

Hanak et al (3) in April 2008 came to the conclusion that there was an association between snoring severity and reduced sexual satisfaction in men but stopped short of associating snoring with any biologic dysfunction.

Will treating sleep apnea "cure" ED?

According to Hoekema and his group (4) neither CPAP nor oral appliances alone could provide significant improvements in sexual functioning, untreated patients with pronounced ED do show some improvement following boh CPAP and oral appliance therapy.

Finally, an article in the International Journal of Urology and Nephrology (5) stated that sildenafil (Viagra) in combination with CPAP was superior both to CPAP alone and sildenafi alone.l

So where does that leave me?

If you are having a problem with erectile dysfunction and you snore loudly, have high blood pressure, feel tired during the day despite a night's sleep and have been told that you awaken at night gasping and choking speak to your physician or specially trained dentist. Treatment of sleep apnea may play a significant role in improving your sexual function.

References:

1. Jankowski JT, Seftel AD, Strohl KP, Erectile dysfunction and sleep related disorders. J Urol (2008 Mar) 179(3):837-41
2. Teloken PE, Smith EB, Lodowsky C, Freedom T, Mulhall JP, Defining association between sleep apnea syndrome and erectile dysfunction. Urology (2006 May) 67(5):1033-7
3. Hanak V, Jacobson DJ, McGree ME, Sauver JS, Lieber MM, Olson EJ, Somers VK, Gades NM, Jacobsen SJ, Snoring as a risk factor for sexual dysfunction in community men. J Sex Med (2008 Apr) 5(4):898-908
4. Hoekema A, Stel AL, Stegenga B, van der Hoeven JH, Wijkstra PJ, van Driel MF, de Bont LG. Sexual function and obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea: a randomized clinical trial evaluating the effects of oral-appliance and continuous positive airway pressure therapy. J Sex Med (2007 Jul) 4(4 Pt 2):1153-62
5. Perimenis P, Konstantinopoulos A, Karkoulias K, Markou S, Perimeni P, Spyropoulos K. Sildenafil combined with continuous positive airway pressure for treatment of erectile dysfunction in men with obstructive sleep apnea. Int Urol Nephrol (2007) 39(2):547-52