Benefits of sleep apnea treatment may include looking better

The many benefits of sleep apnea treatment may include a healthier, better-looking appearance, according to a study from the University of Michigan Health System.¹

Beyond the already well-known benefits of sleep apnea treatment – like providing improved sleep and energy levels and helping thwart the risk of serious health conditions like heart failure and diabetes – researchers are now pointing out that consistent sleep apnea therapy can lead to improved “alertness, youthfulness [and] attractiveness.”

The connection between healthy sleep and a healthy appearance has long been conventional wisdom, but this study marks the first time that a formal research team has focused on monitoring the benefits of sleep apnea treatment in relation to an individual’s personal appearance.

“We perceived that our CPAP patients often looked better, or reported that they’d been told they looked better, after treatment,” commented Ron Chervin, director of the U-M Sleep Disorders Center. “But no one has ever actually studied this.”

The research team used a sophisticated computer “face mapping” process related to plastic surgery to capture images of the faces of 20 patients. The patients, who were described as middle-aged, were photographed before starting a CPAP regimen and again a few months after using the therapy on a regular basis.

Benefits of sleep apnea treatment on your health … and your budget

Emphasizing that the findings still needed to be confirmed by larger studies, the school did point out that this news may give sleep apnea patients a big incentive to stick with their therapy on a regular basis. Also noted was the fact that sleep apnea treatment can save patients money by providing them with a way to look refreshed, healthy and youthful without resorting to other methods like cosmetics or medications.

“The common lore, that people ‘look sleepy’ because they are sleepy, and that they have puffy eyes with dark circles under them, drives people to spend untold dollars on home remedies,” Dr. Chervin added.

In addition to the computer analysis, the study verifies its findings with independent researchers. About two-thirds of the time, these independent judges confirmed that the post-treatment patients “looked more alert, more youthful and more attractive.”

The study authors noted that funding for the research was largely made possible thanks to donations made in honor of the memory of Jonathan Covault, an attorney whose death is thought to be at least partially due to “undertreated sleep apnea.”

This blog post contains general information about medical conditions and potential treatments. It is not medical advice. If you have any medical questions, please consult your doctor.

References

1. Source: Chervin RD, Ruzicka DL, Vahabzadeh A, Burns MC, Burns JW, Buchman SR. The face of sleepiness: improvement in appearance after treatment of sleep apnea. J Clin Sleep Med. 2013 Sep; 9(9):845-52. doi: 10.5664/jcsm.2976.