Everyone knows the importance of a healthy sex life for overall physical health and longevity.
However, one of the most important causes of low libido and erectile dysfunction (ED) is poor sleeping habits, which consequently increases men’s risk of dying young.
Surprising as it may sound for some, one of the greatest, most overlooked contributors, if not causes of chronic health issues, is poor sleep.
Everything from a low sex drive, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, obesity, and infertility, to erectile dysfunction, can be linked to inadequate or disturbed sleep.
Two of the most widespread sleep disorders millions of Americans experience arise from obstructive sleep apnea and insomnia.
Researchers and medical professionals have worked on several independent studies supporting a strong correlation between sleep apnea and insomnia. Understanding the relationship between them is essential for treating both conditions and relieving patients of the symptoms and risks both are associated with.
Two of the most common sleep disorders: Sleep apnea and insomnia
That said, it is interesting how people with sleep apnea are likelier to experience ED than those who don’t – and this may be linked to changes in testosterone levels in men.
Obstructive sleep apnea, the most common form of apnea, happens when the airways are blocked during the night, interfering with sleep. This could arise from many factors, but obstructive sleep apnea is usually treatable.
On the other hand, insomnia is a sleep disorder where an individual has difficulty falling or staying asleep. Its cause can vary depending on the person and can be linked to biological factors, poor sleep habits, chronic illnesses, psychiatric issues, or using sleep-altering substances.
Erectile dysfunction is a disease involving a person’s inability or difficulty producing or keeping an erection long enough to enjoy satisfying sexual activity and can be a symptom of sleep apnea and insomnia.
Getting ED medication has never been easier
Connect with a US-licensed healthcare provider for a FREE evaluation!
Free Express
Shipping
Discreet
Shipping
No Waiting
Rooms
What are the causes of ED?
44% of men with ED can trace it to another underlying health concern – one of the direct links to ED is sleep deprivation.
As mentioned, sleep disorders like sleep apnea, insomnia, stress, depression, anxiety, and relationship problems are among the common causes of ED, as are the following factors:
- Cardiovascular disease
- Hypertension
- High cholesterol levels
- Obesity
- Smoking
- Diabetes
- Alcoholism
- Substance abuse
- Sleep disorders
- Low testosterone
- Stress, depression, anxiety
- Other mental health conditions
Sexual arousal is linked to other body parts, such as the blood cells, brain, and nerves; low sexual libido may also arise from psychosomatic origins.
Worse, sexual dysfunction and lack of sleep create stress, resulting in lower sexual arousal, reduced sleep quality, and adds to existing stress.
It can be a vicious cycle – poor sleepers are up all night while their partners might prefer to sleep. Relationships go south because couples end up sleeping separately, resulting in a loss of intimacy because of reduced sexual engagement.
Sleep apnea, insomnia, ED, and sildenafil I(Viagra®): The interactions
Insomnia and sleep apnea are categorized as separate sleep disorders, but a majority of cases involve both conditions occurring simultaneously.
Sleep apnea, for instance, can lead to insomnia when the brain inhibits an individual’s ability to fall asleep to avoid apneas – or when your breathing stops – when sleeping.
Consequently, the brain acknowledges and registers the severe nature of apneas and attempts to prevent them by inducing a state of insomnia.
On the other hand, insomniacs are often diagnosed with sleep apnea or its predecessor, upper airway resistance syndrome (UARS), the latter causing multiple disturbances causing sufferers to wake up several times every night.
While much has yet to be discovered as regards the root of the relationship between insomnia and sleep apnea, one thing remains clear: if you have either condition, it is likely that you also have the other or develop it regardless unless treated.
Getting ED medication has never been easier
Connect with a US-licensed healthcare provider for a FREE evaluation!
Free Express
Shipping
Discreet
Shipping
No Waiting
Rooms
Does taking sildenafil (Viagra®) cause sleep apnea?
According to a new study, sildenafil (Viagra®) may worsen existing sleep apnea for ED patients, making it harder for men to get the sufficient oxygen their body needs for optimal sleep, therefore increasing the likelihood of developing complications.
Sleep apnea is when breathing stops during sleeping for over 10 seconds or due to an obstruction or narrowing of the airways in the mouth, nose, and throat, which lead to symptoms like insomnia and snoring.
Researcherfewm that recent studies support the notion that sleep apnea contributes to ED. However, ED is undiagnosed in 80% of sleep apnea sufferers, even when symptoms are manifest.
Does sildenafil affect sleep patterns?
According to the study mentioned above published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, researchers examined the effects of a 50 mg dose of Viagra® as opposed to a placebo on 14 men with severe sleep apnea.
The men were monitored throughout the night with sleep tests measuring blood oxygen levels and other vitals after taking either sildenafil or the placebo.
They discovered that a single 50 mg dose of sildenafil greatly increased sleep time along with lower blood oxygen saturation levels compared to those taking the placebo.
The same researchers found that the group taking sildenafil experienced more disordered breathing, leading to more stoppages per hour.
Sildenafil use also interfered with sleep structure, with a recorded increase in stage 2 non-REM sleep vs. placebo and a reduction in deep sleep compared to the beginning of the study and placebo.
However, one of the researchers, Dr. Suely Roizenblatt, MD, Ph.D. of the Federal University of Sao Paulo, Brazil, said that such results are preliminary and based on small sample size. Further studies are needed to determine whether sildenafil use poses risks to men with severe sleep apnea.
Nevertheless, according to Dr. Roizenblatt, the sildenafil should be used cautiously for treating ED in men with sleep-related breathing disorders such as sleep apnea.
