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MONDAY, Sept. 8 (HealthDayNews) -- Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy can be a positive wind of change for both patients with obstructive sleep apnea and their bed partners.
  

A study in the September issue of Chest found that when OSA patients were treated with CPAP, both they and their bed partners experienced significant improvement in their mental and physical health, and overall quality of life.

"Snoring and sleep apnea frequently interfere with the quality of sleep of both the patient and bed partner. Many bed partners choose to sleep in separate rooms rather than endure continuous sleepless nights caused by sleep apnea," study author Dr. James M. Parish, director of the Sleep Disorders Center at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Ariz., says in a news release.

"With CPAP therapy, patients and their partners can experience restful nights, which can ultimately benefit them physically and mentally," Parish says.

People with sleep apnea suffer repetitive episodes of upper airway closures while they sleep, causing them to wake up many times during the night. CPAP prevents these upper airway closures. That improves the patient's sleep quality and reduces daytime sleepiness.

Left untreated, sleep apnea and other sleep disorders can lead to more serious health problems, such as hypertension and heart disease.