Research
Mixed
Treatment of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) with Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) improves neurologic recovery, reduces sleepiness, and may reduce recurrent vascular events in stroke patients.
If you have been diagnosed with sleep apnea after a stroke, using CPAP as prescribed is one of the most effective ways to protect your brain and body from future damage. Work with your doctor to find a mask that fits well and use it every night, even if it feels awkward at first.
ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
Treatment of obstructive SDB with continuous positive airway pressure is recommended given the strength of the increasing evidence in support of a positive effect on outcome (Class IIb, level of evidence B).
Why this rating
Based on multiple randomized studies, but adherence is often poor, and some studies were underpowered or showed non-significant trends.
Source
Role of sleep-disordered breathing and sleep-wake disturbances for stroke and stroke recovery
Dirk M. Hermann et al. · Neurology · 2016
DOI 10.1212/wnl.0000000000003037
narrative_reviewCited 224×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Untreated sleep-disordered breathing (SDB), particularly obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), is an independent risk factor for incident stroke and recurrent vascular events, with risk increasing with apnea-hypopnea index (AHI).Good
- Both short sleep duration (<=5-6 hours) and long sleep duration (>=8-9 hours) are independent predictors of incident stroke.Good
- Insomnia and sleep deprivation impair neuroplasticity and functional stroke recovery, while promoting NREM and REM sleep has a favorable effect on recovery.Moderate
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