 Obstructive sleep apnea OSA is characterized by recurrent episodes of partial or complete obstruction of the upper airway during sleep resulting in oxygen desaturation and arousals from sleep. OSA is recognized as an important public health problem, affecting 9 and 24 of middle-aged females and males, respectively. There is now compelling evidence that severe OSA is associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, mainly due to acute myocardial infarction and stroke. Moreover, the current standard treatment with application of continuous positive airway pressure CPAP during the night was associated with decreased non-fatal and fatal cardiovascular events. 