Sex Life and Sleep Apnea

During my initial medical examination that lead to the diagnosis of Sleep Apnea, my doctor asked me if I have election or sexual interest. Later a sleep study confirmed the it. From the internet,one of the symptom of sleep Apnea is a diminished interest in sex. Please, to what extent has sleep Apnea affects your sexual life before and after diagnosis?



mcpascaln

Hello Mcpascalns,
As you start to use your CPAP on a regular basis, you may begin to notice some changes in how it makes you feel. Some of the symptoms that prompted you to seek diagnosis and treatment of your sleep apnea may improve. For example, most people have improved energy levels and decreased excessive daytime sleepiness. These improvements may leave you feeling more frisky and more interested in sex.

There are several posts from other CPAPTalk community members about this very thing, take a look at:

• viewtopic/t49080/ED-amp-libido.html

Mcpascalns wrote:During my initial medical examination that lead to the diagnosis of Sleep Apnea, my doctor asked me if I have election or sexual interest.

Would your doctor happen to be Bill Clinton?

Mcpascalns wrote:During my initial medical examination that lead to the diagnosis of Sleep Apnea, my doctor asked me if I have election or sexual interest. Later a sleep study confirmed the it. From the internet,one of the symptom of sleep Apnea is a diminished interest in sex. Please, to what extent has sleep Apnea affects your sexual life before and after diagnosis?
mcpascaln

If you're a girl, please post a picture.

When I had untreated Sleep Apnea, I was tired, not dead. Jim

Goofproof wrote:When I had untreated Sleep Apnea, I was tired, not dead. Jim

Hi Jim,

That is exactly what I think might have been the case with me. Never been dead.

"Election"? --as in voting?
Or like asparagus; either crispy or wilted?

chunkyfrog wrote:"Election"? --as in voting?
Or like asparagus; either crispy or wilted?

Hi chunkyfrog,

I did not mean to say 'election' as in voting. It must have been a typo. The correct word should have been 'erection'. Anyway, folk here will agree with me that sleep apnea has a significant impact on one's sexual health mostly in men not women whom I think, remain largely unaffected by it.

This thread has got me thinking, bu certainly not posting.

mcpascalns wrote:

chunkyfrog wrote:"Election"? --as in voting?
Or like asparagus; either crispy or wilted?

Hi chunkyfrog,

I did not mean to say 'election' as in voting. It must have been a typo. The correct word should have been 'erection'. Anyway, folk here will agree with me that sleep apnea has a significant impact on one's sexual health mostly in men not women whom I think, remain largely unaffected by it.

Hi mcp,

Just curious here- why would sleep apnea have a 'significant impact on mostly men's sexual health and not women's, who remain largely unaffected by it?' Did you read that in a study done somewhere? Can you post a link to the study or articles regarding that info please?

That doesn't make sense to me biologically speaking. Apnea can also affect a female's libido.

Before CPAP when I had untreated sleep apnea, I never had "normal" AM or nocturnal erections like healthy men have. I used to have those regular when I was younger, like up until my late twenties. I also had low T and generalized severe loss of interest in sex. The only interest in sex I had before CPAP was maybe, looking at Internet porn once in a while or looking at women in bathing suits at the pool in the summer. Had no motivation or drive to go out and date, etc.

After CPAP, began experiencing SOME AM and nocturnal erections again. I also developed a better ability to get and hold a normal erection. That fell apart when my CPAP therapy fell apart once, then afterwards I got it back when the CPAP issue was fixed.

My personal opinion on sex and sleep apnea? If they catch it when you are still young, like under 35 and actually treat you for it with CPAP, you can still probably have a normal sex life. On the other hand, if you are like so many and say, late thirties or forty or later before they finally catch sleep apnea and put you on CPAP, you may be too far gone and CPAP may help a little, but you will never be the same again.

Also remember, for many there is a huge gap between falling apart from sleep apnea and getting it fixed, for most folks. During that big gap...usually a decade or more....usually it seems like more than a decade, you age. Sometimes a lot.

MrGrumpy wrote:Before CPAP when I had untreated sleep apnea, I never had "normal" AM or nocturnal erections like healthy men have. I used to have those regular when I was younger, like up until my late twenties. I also had low T and generalized severe loss of interest in sex. The only interest in sex I had before CPAP was maybe, looking at Internet porn once in a while or looking at women in bathing suits at the pool in the summer. Had no motivation or drive to go out and date, etc.

After CPAP, began experiencing SOME AM and nocturnal erections again. I also developed a better ability to get and hold a normal erection. That fell apart when my CPAP therapy fell apart once, then afterwards I got it back when the CPAP issue was fixed.

My personal opinion on sex and sleep apnea? If they catch it when you are still young, like under 35 and actually treat you for it with CPAP, you can still probably have a normal sex life. On the other hand, if you are like so many and say, late thirties or forty or later before they finally catch sleep apnea and put you on CPAP, you may be too far gone and CPAP may help a little, but you will never be the same again.

Also remember, for many there is a huge gap between falling apart from sleep apnea and getting it fixed, for most folks. During that big gap...usually a decade or more....usually it seems like more than a decade, you age. Sometimes a lot.

Hi MrGrumpy,

Thanks for your reply. Strange that we are on an adult forum, yet this is a topic that seems to be taboo and one that most people don't feel comfortable discussing.

I can certainly understand how untreated OSA can impact a male's sex drive/ libido and the ability to get and/or sustain erections. And I would agree that the longer the OSA goes untreated and the body ages, could be significant factors in recovery.

Yet, I would think- from a biological perspective- much of the same would be true for females, as well (minus, the erections, of course.)

SleepyEyes21 wrote:

mcpascalns wrote:

chunkyfrog wrote:"Election"? --as in voting?
Or like asparagus; either crispy or wilted?

Hi chunkyfrog,

I did not mean to say 'election' as in voting. It must have been a typo. The correct word should have been 'erection'. Anyway, folk here will agree with me that sleep apnea has a significant impact on one's sexual health mostly in men not women whom I think, remain largely unaffected by it.

Hi mcp,

Just curious here- why would sleep apnea have a 'significant impact on mostly men's sexual health and not women's, who remain largely unaffected by it?' Did you read that in a study done somewhere? Can you post a link to the study or articles regarding that info please?

That doesn't make sense to me biologically speaking. Apnea can also affect a female's libido.

SleepyEyes21,
Yeah, its possible sleep 'Apnea can also affect a female's libido.' but to be honestly, I cannot answer that question without evidence. May be some of our posters here can answer that. I apologize for my oversight. I was merely peaking from a man's perspective as such but again, it can be fraught with inaccuracies. Please, look at this this way, is not it correct or almost correct to say that 98 percent of men are attracted to watching porno's but only about 2 percent apply to women? There is no studies to back this up but its borne out of what I see in our society .

As a female, I can only say that CPAP can have a negative impact on your sex life in terms of spontaneity. If I have no interest in sex when I get into bed, the mask goes on.
Usually, I just start doing things or verbalize my desire to have sex before getting into bed. However, sometimes I get into bed and don't put the mask on. Then my husband knows I'm trying to be sneaky about it. Not sneaky, just more natural and subtle which is very hard with a tube blowing air down your throat. I just try my best not to let the actual treatment not get in the way of a sex life. As for scientific side effects causing diminished libido, I don't think it has diminished mine.

My wife loves the mask. She pops it on me and its on!!! Lol. No seriously it just comes down to communication really.