Sleep Apnea Sufferers Produce Less Testosterone

A recent study found that male patients suffering from obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) produce lower levels of testosterone, resulting in decreased libido and sexual activity. The study was published in the July 2002 issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

Sleep apnea is a respiratory disorder that affects 4%-9% of adult males. While many OSA sufferers complain of decreased libidos, previous studies of testosterone levels in OSA patients found that they were within the normal range for this hormone.

"For years we have seen sleep-disorder patients complain of decreased libido but we had no explanation for this phenomenon until now,” said Professor Peretz Lavie, head of the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology Sleep Center (Haifa; www.technion.ac.il) and study leader.

In previous studies, testosterone levels were measured once after awakening. In the current study, subjects (OSA sufferers and normal controls) fitted with electrodes and catheters were monitored between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m., with blood samples collected every 20 minutes. Results showed that nearly half the sleep apnea patients secreted abnormally low testosterone levels throughout the night.

The investigators concluded, "OSA in men is associated with dysfunction of the pituitary-gonadal axis. The relation between LH-testosterone profiles and the severity of OSA suggested that sleep fragmentation and, to a lesser extent, hypoxia in addition to the degree of obesity and aging may be responsible for the central suppression of testosterone in these patients.”




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Technion-Israel Institute of Technology