Sleep apnea is a potentially serious medical condition in which breathing repeatedly starts and stops while a person is sleeping. It is a fairly common condition in the United States and is currently prevalent in as many as an estimated 18 million Americans.

One of the best ways to treat sleep apnea is by using a CPAP machine. Continuous positive airway pressure, or CPAP machines, are considered the first line of defense when it comes to treating sleep apnea. CPAP machine effectiveness is based on the fact that it provides continuous airflow to a sleeping person through a positive airway pressure ventilator.

It’s now being reported that CPAP machines can also help to reduce atrial fibrillation in patients too. Research from the New York University Langone Medical Center found that CPAP machines reduced atrial fibrillation occurrence by 42% in sleep apnea patients, as reported by the expert health news source Belmarrahealth.com.

?Our study confirms the expanding body of evidence that treatment of modifiable risk factors has a significant impact on the long-term suppression of atrial fibrillation regardless of the type of therapy offered,? Larry A. Chinitz, M.D., the study’s author said.

While more research and studies need to be done before any absolutes can be drawn, this certainly bodes well for patients who suffer from this disorder. According to the National Commission on Sleep Disorders Research, approximately 38,000 deaths occur on an annual basis that relate to cardiovascular problems that in one way or another are connected to sleep apnea.

This additional benefit might help convince people to actually use their prescribed CPAP machines. Even though the effects of these sleep apnea machines have been well-documented, as many as 80% of patients who say they use their machine don’t use it enough to keep them safe.

While the relationship between these two conditions is certainly there, it’s still unclear the exact cause-and-effect.

?Active screening for obstructive sleep apnea in all patients who undergo treatment for atrial fibrillation is imperative as the use of CPAP will influence the outcome of therapy and likely reduce some of the cardiovascular morbidity associated with atrial fibrillation,” Chinitz said. “Technology for home screening of sleep apnea needs to be made widely available and become as routine as measurements of blood pressure and blood sugar levels in diabetics.?