Sleep Apnea and Impotence
Over the long term, sleep apnea increases the risk for high blood pressure, stroke, and heart disease. For many men, these long-term dangers do not provide adequate motivation to initiate sleep apnea treatment. They say, “Everybody dies of something.” To such folks, I explain that sleep apnea affects not only quantity but the quality of life; sleep apnea may cause sleepiness, insomnia, and even in the absence of these symptoms, sexual dysfunction. Erections require healthy small blood vessels, and when sleeping apnea depressives your small blood vessels of oxygen at night, these vessels lose flexibility and function. So if your sleep is poor or your partner says you snore, and you’re concerned about impotence, visit a sleep doctor.