Sleep apnea and erectile dysfunction

Erectile dysfunction is a subject that most men don’t want to talk about (or write about). But it seems that you can’t turn on the TV without seeing an ad for ER medications. One possible reason for the attention to ER is that the male population is becoming older and that definitely is a factor for this disorder. There are many other reasons why this condition can occur. Is sleep apnea one of them?

 

Common causes of erectile dysfunction (from the mayoclinic.com)

 

• Heart disease  
• clogged blood vessels 
• high blood pressure 
• Diabetes 
• obesity

And psychological causes…

• depression 
• anxiety 
• fatigue 
• relationship problems

What about sleep apnea and erectile dysfunction?

Sleep apnea patients have their REM sleep stage disrupted. During REM the brain is very active and the body is very immobile. The development of learning occurs during REM especially with infants.

REM is also a time when men have erections. Some suggest that sleep apnea’s disruptions have an adverse effect on men achieving erections when you are awake. Also if you look at the common causes of ER you will see some of the illnesses that can be caused by sleep apnea.

Medications can help with the erectile dysfunction as well as losing weight and exercising. Of course sleep apnea can be helped with the use of the cpap machine and surgeries, which in turn will probably help with the erectile dysfunction.


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