Oct 21, 2014 12:56 PM EDT By Staff Reporter, UniversityHerald Reporter

Obstructive sleep apnea does not adversely affect sex life, according to a recent study.

Many people who use a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device to manage the illness often believe that it makes them less sexually attractive. However, researchers at Franklin University in Ohio found that they do not need to worry.

Erectile Dysfunction is common in sleep apnea patients, but studies have shown that the use of CPAP improves the disorder. However, patients using CPAP may believe that the use of CPAP will have a negative influence on sexual quality, which can in turn make them less likely to use CPAP.

"This study found that [sexual quality of life] scores were similar between the compliant vs. noncompliant group," researcher Mark J. Rosen said in a statement. "This study suggests that CPAP compliance does not impair sexual quality of life in patients with sleep apnea."

For the study, researchers conducted a survey to determine if sexual quality of life differs between CPAP-compliant and noncompliant patients. Patients were deemed to be compliant if they used CPAP more than four hours per night for 70 percent of days.

Fifty-two patients with obstructive sleep apnea on CPAP answered 10 questions pertaining to physical and emotional aspects of lovemaking. Of the 52 patients, 27 were compliant with CPAP, 25 were not. Both groups were similar in age, body mass index, erectile dysfunction, use of medication to treat erectile dysfunction, and presence of depression. Results showed that, when adjusting for all confounding variables, CPAP compliance does not predict sexual quality of life.

The findings were published in the journal CHEST.

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