Could the 'Love Hormone' ease sleep apnea treatment?
NCT ID NCT03860233
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests whether a nasal spray of oxytocin, a natural hormone, can lower the air pressure needed from a CPAP machine in people with obstructive sleep apnea. Forty adults who already use CPAP will take the spray or a placebo before bed for 14 days. Researchers will measure changes in CPAP pressure and daytime sleepiness to see if oxytocin helps make treatment easier and reduces oxygen drops during sleep.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- oxytocin
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a way to make CPAP therapy more comfortable and reduce side effects from low oxygen during sleep.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very early phase 1 trial with only 40 people, so results may not apply widely. Oxytocin may not reduce CPAP pressure or improve sleepiness as hoped.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Phase 1
The first testing in people. Mainly checks safety and dose, usually in a small group.
- Participants
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About 40 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Mar 2019
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2026
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Men or women 18 years of age or older. Exclusion Criteria: * subjects not willing to or otherwise unable to use CPAP for treatment of OSA. * Presence of other sleep disorders * Pregnant or breastfeeding women * Women of child-bearing age (WOCBA) not willing or unable to use an accepted method to avoid pregnancy for the entire duration of the study * Prisoners or subjects who are involuntarily incarcerated * Subjects who are compulsorily detain or treatment of either a psychiatric or physical (i.e. infectious disease) illness * Patients unable to give consent because of a language barrier, or other reason.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Medical Faculty Associates
RECRUITINGWashington D.C., District of Columbia, 20037, United States
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