Sleep Apnea And Testosterone Levels

Posted on November 2, 2011 by Dr. Erin Elliott

While it’s not shocking that conditions such as sleep apnea can cause daytime sleepiness, fatigue, a lack of energy, and restlessness, some of today’s most recent studies show that the condition has a large scale effect on the body. For instance, new studies continuously show that untreated sleep apnea causes the heart to overwork, which could lead to weakened cardiovascular system. At the same time, sleep apnea has also been linked to insomnia, sleep walking, and even aggression.

A recent study conducted on healthy young men found that not only does sleep apnea affect the cardiovascular system and the brain, it also plays a role in testosterone levels. The study found that in the men, testosterone levels were lower when sleep loss occurred. The study noted that the release of testosterone generally occurs when men are sleeping, which means that fragmented sleep caused by sleep apnea can reduce hormone levels.

After studying the 10 men, researchers found that daytime testosterone levels decreased by 10-15% when the subjects were only sleeping 5 hours a day for a week. While the study only researched 10 men, researchers discovered that sleeping no more than 5 hours a day is a very common sleeping pattern that at least 15% of today’s population follows.

Treating Sleep Apnea

In men, testosterone is a very important hormone that is not only important for reproduction and sexual behavior purposes, testosterone is also need for proper bone density, well-being,  strength, and muscle mass. Since sleep apnea has a negative effect on hormone levels, including testosterone, get your sleep apnea treated today!