Use of a CPAP machine can improve relationships in which one person has sleep apnea Sleep apnea causes loud snoring, which can disrupt a partner’s sleep CPAP machines use mild levels of air pressure to keep the airways open MONDAY, June 3, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Strapping a mask to your face can make for a happier marriage, a new study suggests. Relationships with partners flourish if a person with sleep apnea starts using a continuous positive air pressure ( ) machine on a regular basis, researchers found. Snoring is one of the most recognizable symptoms of sleep apnea, and it can reach timber-rattling levels for some.
This means both the person with sleep apnea and their partner often lose lots of sleep to the health problem. “No one is at their best when they aren’t sleeping,” said lead researcher , a senior behavioral scientist with RAND Corp. “In an age where we see couples going through ‘sleep divorces,’ and roughly 50% of marriages end in actual divorce, recognizing how healthy sleep can contribute to healthy relationships is imperative,” Troxel added.
Nearly 30 million Americans have sleep apnea, a chronic disease in which the upper airway collapses repeatedly during sleep, disrupting normal breathing, according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. The new study involved 36 couples in which a person with sleep apnea started using a CPAP machine, which uses mild levels of air pressure delivered through a mask to keep the throat open. After three.
