Sleep apnea is a fairly common disorder—one in five adults in the United States have at least a mild case of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Loud snoring is the common complaint of those who share a bed with an OSA sufferer, but there is more going on inside the body of a person with OSA besides the annoying snore fest. “Sleep apnea occurs when breathing is briefly and repeatedly interrupted during sleep, and it’s caused by a blockage or collapse of the upper airway,” says Teofilo Lee-Chiong, Jr., MD, a professor at National Jewish Health and chief medical liaison at Philips. “These interruptions, also known as apneas, are caused by the collapse of soft tissue in the airway, which, in turn, keeps oxygen from reaching the lungs. Weak muscles in the airway, a large tongue, and obesity may also cause the airway tissue to collapse and obstruct breathing.”

The occasional night of fitful sleep will leave the average person feeling groggy and cranky; a person with untreated OSA will feel this way 365 days a year. This wreaks havoc on some major functions in that person’s physical, mental, and behavioral spheres. “During sleep, various hormone systems act to help digest and metabolize nutrients and eliminate various waste products. Too little or too much sleep is associated with increases in obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and stroke. Even your level of hunger or satiety is related to the hormone balances modulated by appropriate amounts of sleep,” says Mark l. Leavey, MD, a primary care specialist at Mercy Personal Physicians at Lutherville, who also blogs about sleep issues at String of Medical Pearls.

“It is said that dreams are the processing of data absorbed during the day, along with the brain’s creativity and learning. New information is processed with enhanced ability to learn with adequate amounts of sleep; schoolchildren who are sleep-deprived have more difficulties learning concepts and retaining facts,” says Dr. Leavey. Daily living becomes a nightmare of waking up feeling exhausted, dozing off during the day, being cranky with coworkers, overeating and over-caffeinating, and slower reflexes when driving.

Along came the CPAP machine

This revolutionary machine—the initials stand for “continuous positive airway pressure”—has proved to be a lifesaver for those who suffer from sleep apnea. How does it work? “A CPAP machine sends a constant flow of air pressure to your throat to ensure that your airway stays open during sleep, effectively treating the spontaneous pauses in breath associated with sleep apnea,” says Dr. Lee-Chiong. Snoring ceases, the patient can breathe normally throughout the night, and everyone—patient and partner alike—gets a restful, restorative night of sleep. It’s become the most commonly used therapy for OSA; now CPAP machines come in a variety of shapes and sizes to suit almost every patient.

Marc Kruskol of Palmdale, California, suffered for years from sleep apnea. His snoring was so loud that he was even disturbing the sleep of family members in other rooms in the house. After his first sleep study, a surgeon suggested removing Kruskol’s tonsils, adenoids, and parts of his soft palate to alleviate the blockage. That sounded too extreme, but his sleep apnea continued to worsen. “I would wake up at 7 a.m., go back to sleep, wake up again at 8 a.m., back to sleep, and so on. I could do this all day if I could,” says Kruskol. “I went to a movie. I watched the trailers. The next thing I knew, the movie was almost over. I could literally fall asleep anywhere, almost instantly.”

After a second at-home sleep study, Kruskol signed up for a CPAP machine. “It’s life-changing. The first time I went to sleep around 11 p.m., I woke up at 6:30 a.m. wide awake and ready to go! I have never fallen asleep at anyone’s house, a movie theater—heck, I can’t even fall asleep on a plane. I never have to take naps, and I don’t wake the neighbors or anyone who might be near me,” says Kruskol. 

A healthier pregnancy“Since starting CPAP in 2017, my energy levels have improved significantly. That’s not to say that they are perfect, but the difference is huge,” says Stacy Erickson Edwards, who created CPAP Babes, a website to encourage and support CPAP users. “I used to spend pretty much every waking moment planning my next nap, whether it be 20 minutes in between work and a babysitting job or 45 minutes in the car while the kids that I nannied for were at soccer practice,” she says.

Erickson’s ability to get pregnant was something she and her husband were worried about. “Sleep apnea has been known to hurt fertility for both men and women.” Studies confirm that men who suffer from OSA have a reduced sperm count; women with OSA experience reproductive issues, too. Edwards experienced other health bonuses by treating her OSA before conceiving: Studies show that sleep apnea during pregnancy can raise blood pressure and is linked to other complications, like preterm delivery, low birth weight, preeclampsia, and gestational diabetes. 

Lifesaving changes

Jeremy Hay of Petersburg, Indiana, had life-threatening blood pressure at 180/110. Medications weren’t making much of a difference. “I had been spiking for months into stroke territory with symptoms of an ischemic attack—just shy of a stroke,” Hay recalls. “I had slowed thought and speech, memory loss, and reaction time.” Hay had nonobstructive apnea—he would simply stop breathing. “The connection between my brain and the autonomic nervous system had started to decay. My brain was forgetting to tell me to breathe.” His lifesaver came in the form of an auto CPAP: Instead of a set continuous pressure, an auto CPAP varies low- and high-pressure airflow depending on the patient’s need. His blood pressure is now 140/80; still high, but much healthier. Find out the 13 signs your sleep apnea could be killing you.

Weight lossA lack of high-quality sleep over time throws the hormones that control hunger satiety out of balance and can lead sufferers to overeat, says Dr. Leavey. When Nicholas Treviño of Jasper, Indiana, went to the doctor, he was just hoping to sleep. “After so long of not hitting REM sleep, I would just pass out for a day and still not feel rested.” The CPAP machine gave Treviño the restful sleep he was lacking—plus, it helped him shed more than 100 pounds. “The weight loss came from getting sleep—lowering my stress, and stress eating—and a 24-hour gym pass,” says Treviño.

Reduced risk of vision lossDiabetic retinopathy is a type of vision loss that strikes people with type 2 diabetes. In a 2017 University of Birmingham study involving 230 patients with type 2 diabetes, researchers discovered that the condition is more common in patients with OSA. The good news is that patients who used CPAP machine therapy lowered their risk. 

Improved cardiovascular health