- With Mayo Clinic emeritus internist
Kenneth G. Berge, M.D.
read biographyclose windowBiography of
Kenneth G. Berge, M.D.
Kenneth G. Berge, M.D.
Dr. Kenneth Berge has been involved in Mayo Clinic's Web publications since they began in 1995, advising editors and the public throughout his tenure.
He develops content for the Ask a Specialist segment and helps plan and edit other content and design. Dr. Berge has also been an editor of CD-ROMs and books produced by Mayo Clinic.
Dr. Berge, board certified in internal medicine, has been with Mayo Clinic since 1955 and early on had a special research interest in cardiovascular risk factors, including cholesterol and hypertension. Dr. Berge served as a leader for a number of major National Institutes of Health clinical trials that established the fundamental roles for lifestyle modifications needed to prevent cardiovascular disease. Dr. Berge served in various capacities with the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. He was vice chairman of the steering committee for the Coronary Drug Project and chairman of the steering committee on Systolic Hypertension in the Elderly Program from 1984 to 1993.
He won the Teacher of the Year Hall of Fame Award in 1987 and was Mayo Clinic voting staff president in 1976. He is an emeritus professor of medicine at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine.
He became a fellow in the American College of Physicians in 1962 and was president of the Minnesota chapter of the American College of Physicians in 1981.
As a respected physician, researcher and teacher with more than 40 years of clinical experience, Dr. Berge, a native of Wahkon, Minn., brings a wealth of knowledge to the Web site. "My career as a primary care physician for more than 40 years has provided me with experience in communicating complex information to a wide variety of patients in a manner that they could understand. I also came to know their common concerns and questions," he says.
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Question
Sleep apnea and caffeine: Any connection?
My husband decided to stop drinking soda. Since then, his obstructive sleep apnea has improved. Is there anything in the medical literature to support a connection between sleep apnea and caffeine?
Answer
from Kenneth G. Berge, M.D.
Researchers haven't implicated caffeine as a factor that causes or aggravates obstructive sleep apnea. In one study, however, caffeine seemed to improve mental alertness in people who have obstructive sleep apnea. In addition, caffeine is sometimes prescribed for premature infants to reduce episodes of interrupted breathing during sleep.
Lifestyle changes may help manage some cases of obstructive sleep apnea:
- Lose excess weight.
- Avoid alcohol.
- Quit smoking.
- Avoid medications that relax the muscles in the back of the throat.
- Sleep on your side or abdomen rather than on your back.
Often, however, devices are needed to keep the airway open. In other cases, surgery is recommended.
- Morgenthaler TI (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. July 25, 2008.
- Norman D, et al. Caffeine intake is independently associated with neuropsychological performance in patients with obstructive sleep apnea. Sleep & Breathing. 2008;12(3):199-205.
- Schmidt B, et al. Long-term effects of caffeine therapy for apnea of prematurity. The New England Journal of Medicine. 2007;357(19):1893-1902.
- Schmidt B, et al. Caffeine therapy for apnea of prematurity. The New England Journal of Medicine. 2006;354(20):2112-2121.
- Treatment options for adults with obstructive sleep apnea. American Sleep Apnea Association.http://www.sleepapnea.org/resources/pubs/treatment.html. Accessed Aug. 13, 2008.
