Sleep apnea sufferers were found to look younger and more alert after only a month or two of treatment.
The CPAC mask reduces patients' snoring, lowers their blood pressure, and keeps them alert during the day. The benefits are enticing, but the cumbersome mask attached to a breathing hose and machine can keep patients from using the treatment, a University of Michigan press release reported.
Sleep apnea can lead to serious heart problems, and many patients are never diagnosed with the condition. Doctors are doing everything they can to encourage those struggling with sleep apnea to use the machines.
Researchers studied before-and-after shots of 20 patients over the course of CPAC treatment. They found the results went far beyond just "looking sleepy."
The team first got the idea for the study when they noticed patients who were prescribed the treatment often looked significantly better shortly after they started the CPAC regimen.
"Patients looked more alert, more youthful and more attractive after treatment. Their foreheads were less puffy, and their faces were less red, too - and their forehead wrinkles may have been reduced," the press release reported.
The researchers hope to inspire people to continue using the machines, or begin using them, by showing them it will improve not only their physical health, but appearance as well.
"We want sleep to be on people's minds, and to educate them about the importance of getting enough sleep and getting attention for sleep disorders," head of U-M's sleep team, Ronald Chervin, said.
Further studies will be needed to confirm the trial's findings.
Sleep apnea is characterized as "a common disorder in which you have one or more pauses in breathing or shallow breaths while you sleep," the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute reported. The condition is the leading cause of "excessive daytime sleepiness."
