New stroke therapies are needed. This study seeks to provide the preliminary data needed to plan a future study that will evaluate the efficacy of using continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) to treat stroke patients who have sleep apnea. Our goal is to use this therapy to reduce stroke symptom severity.
Inclusion Criteria: acute ischemic stroke with NIH Stroke Scale \>=2 - Exclusion Criteria: respiratory distress; COPD requiring oxygen; primary intracranial hemorrhage on admission brain imaging; time from symptom onset to sleep study or CPAP treatment \>72 hours or time from hospital admission to sleep study or CPAP treatment \>48 hours; life expectancy less than 6 months; inability to provide informed consent; inability to communicate in English; residence outside the greater New Haven area; or any condition where the monitoring required by the study would constitute a risk to the patient or impair his or her care. \-