According to a new study released by the University of Michigan Health System and published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, a healthy night’s rest can make you not only feel better, but look better, too. Of course, this is easier said than done for the millions of people suffering with sleep apnea. If you are suffering with this sleep disorder, it is important to take the condition seriously and seek out treatment with the use of PAP, or Positive Airway Pressure, therapy.
Dr. Ronald Chervin is the lead researcher who heads the University of Michigan’s Sleep Disorders Center. He believes and has proven that proper sleep is possible with the use of PAP therapy. He states, “Compliance is a huge issue,” and believes that many patients who are dealing with sleep apnea are not receiving the necessary care.
Sleep apnea is a very dangerous condition where a patient will stop breathing multiple times during their sleep. They may also produce loud snoring and appear to have their airways blocked. The condition is actually very common but most people do not realize they have sleep apnea. If the condition is left untreated, patients will continue to have issues getting proper sleep. However, the condition can also lead to heart disease, strokes, diabetes, or accidents caused by extreme fatigue.
Of course, treatment is possible and readily available. Patients who believe they may have sleep apnea can consult their physicians to schedule a sleep study test. This test is conducted during the patient’s sleep at an overnight visit to a clinic. The amount of times that the patient stops breathing will be noted. If the test conductor believes the patient could benefit from PAP therapy, a machine will supply pressurized air to the patient through tubing and a face or nasal mask. Patients who require PAP therapy will sleep each night with a mask and the PAP machine. This is the most effective form of sleep apnea treatment.
Dr. Chervin believes patients must utilize their PAP therapy to sleep better, feel better, and look better. “It’s clear that we need something to help make patients more willing to use PAP because the treatment works,” he states.
The new study focused on 20 patients using CPAP, or Continuous Positive Airway Pressure, therapy. Patients were all of middle-aged and very similar in terms of their sleep apnea condition. The CPAP therapy was used on these patients for four months and each of the patient’s facial areas were inspected for changes over the time period.
Dr. Chervin said the differences were remarkable. “At least anecdotally, I would see patients in clinic who were compliant with treatment saying they certainly felt better, but they also looked better.” Participants were photographed with innovative mapping software that focused on the face. Before and after treatment photos were taken. The images were studied by various people including independent raters who were not involved with the study.
They concluded that the participants who complied with the proper CPAP therapy looked more youthful and alert. They appeared more attractive after only a few months. Redness of the face had decreased and the forehead and facial areas seemed more full of volume with less wrinkles.
Spokesman for the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Dr. Edwin Williams stated facial mapping software has been used for many years when performing rejuvenation procedures. “The imagine allows us to tailor procedures to an individual, but even with the best procedures, no one is going to stay looking more youthful if they aren’t sleeping well,” he stated.
One patient, Nora Kryza, suffered from sleep apnea for many years before fully complying with the prescribed CPAP treatment. “My family use to call me Darth Vader when I would strap on the mask at night,” she said. However, Kryza now has a smaller mask that she feels more comfortable in but more importantly, she feels better, is more alert, and looks better.
The 56 year old from Fenton, Michigan states, “I’m not ready to give up on my night cream, but I have two sisters, one younger and one older, and I now look better than both of them.” She laughs and then continues telling the story about her husband also getting a better night’s rest, “He didn’t realize how lousy he was sleeping until I stopped snoring.”
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About the Author: Dr. Edwin Williams
Dr. Edwin Williams is a double board-certified facial plastic surgeon who founded The Williams Center in 1993. He has performed over 10,000 facial plastic surgery procedures and has pioneered the deep plane facelift. He served on the Board of Directors for the American Academy of Facial Plastic Surgery for over a decade, and served as President from 2015-2016. In 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019, Dr. Williams earned the Castle Connelly Top Doctors award in New York Facial Plastic Surgery.
Dr. Edwin F. Williams III attended Cornell University in Ithaca, New York where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in 1982. He began medical school at the State University of Buffalo School of Medicine and received his Doctor of Medicine in 1986.
Dr. Williams is actively involved in teaching facial plastic and reconstruction surgery to the residents of the Albany Medical Center and is former Chief of the Section of Facial and Plastic Reconstruction Surgery at Albany Medical Center where he received an academic appointment of Clinical Professor, Department of Surgery.