Posted by Neill AbayonMen with sleep apnea may suffer from a treatable form of erectile dysfunction caused by regular deprivation of oxygen experienced during their episodes of obstructed breathing.
A study on mice found that one week of chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH) -- lack of oxygen suffered during obstructive sleep apnea syndrome -- resulted in a 55 percent decline in daily spontaneous erections. After five weeks, the length of time between mice attempts at mating increased, on average, by 60-fold.
However, when the mice went back on standard oxygen levels for six weeks, they recovered 74 percent of their original erectile function.
