CPAP therapy cuts fatigue, ups energy level in sleep apnea patients

Washington, Jan 1 (ANI): A new study has suggested that that three weeks of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy reduces fatigue and increases energy in obstructive sleep apnea patients.

These results have indicated that participants were no longer suffering from clinically significant levels of fatigue after the three-week intervention period.

"These results are important, as they highlight that patients who comply with CPAP therapy can find relief from fatigue and experience increases in energy and vigor after a relatively short treatment period," said lead author Lianne Tomfohr, of the San Diego State University and the University of California, San Diego.

Further analysis found that CPAP appeared to be especially beneficial for participants who were excessively fatigued or sleepy before treatment as it significantly reduced self-reported daytime sleepiness in the group.

Tomfohr and a team of UCSD researchers studied 59 adults with a mean age of 48 years.

Participants were randomly assigned to receive either therapeutic CPAP or placebo CPAP, and they returned to the sleep lab for a night of either CPAP titration or mock titration.

Participants were trained on the use of the equipment and instructed to use it at home each night for three weeks. Questionnaire data were obtained prior to study randomisation and after the three-week intervention period.

The findings were reported in the journal Sleep. (ANI)