Is Sleep Apnea Reversible With Weight Loss

Is Sleep Apnea Reversible With Weight Loss

How Weight Affects Sleep Apnea

A very common condition called sleep apnea causes breathing problems when a person is asleep. A small or restricted upper airway causes disturbed breathing in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), the most prevalent form of sleep apnea. Breathing via a straw is analogous. Every night, those with severe OSA may experience up to thirty breathing disturbances.

Numerous significant connections between sleep apnea and excess body weight are becoming apparent as the medical community gains more knowledge about the condition. In addition to causing sleep apnea, being overweight can aggravate its symptoms and intensify its negative health implications. Weight gain can also result from sleep deprivation, creating a vicious cycle. Numerous studies indicate that weight loss helps with sleep apnea, which is encouraging. Understanding the intricate relationships between obesity and sleep apnea is crucial if you are dealing with any of these issues.

Why Excess Weight Causes Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is more likely to occur in those who are overweight or obese, while it can be caused by a number of medical issues. Pharyngeal fat is a kind of fat deposit that develops in the neck of people who are overweight. When a person's upper airway is already relaxed during sleep, pharyngeal fat might obstruct it. Because of this, snoring is one of the most typical signs of sleep apnea; it sounds like air being forced through a narrowed airway.

Furthermore, a person's chest wall may be compressed by an increase in stomach circumference brought on by extra fat, which would reduce lung volume. Airflow is decreased by this diminished lung capacity.

1. increasing the likelihood that the upper airway may collapse as you sleep. As the body mass index rises, the risk of OSA keeps increasing.

2 BMI), which measures one’s body fat based on height and weight. Even a 10% weight gain is associated with a six-fold increase 

Can Sleep Apnea Cause Weight Gain?

Although being overweight has long been recognized as a risk factor for OSA, there is growing evidence that the association is bidirectional. This is due to the fact that sleep deprivation is linked to elevated ghrelin, an appetite-stimulating hormone, and reduced leptin, an appetite-suppressing hormone, which may heighten desires for meals high in calories. More evidence suggests that sleep deprivation causes obesity, overeating, and a reduction in fat loss after calorie restriction.

Additionally, it seems that those with OSA, in particular, would be more prone to gaining weight than those without the condition but with the same BMI and overall health. One study demonstrated this by showing that individuals with OSA acquired a substantial amount of weight (around 16 pounds). 

Sleep Apnea and Overweight Health Risks

When people with sleep apnea don't receive adequate sleep, their cardiovascular, metabolic, and pulmonary systems are under a lot of stress. This may be particularly problematic for overweight people since obesity raises the risk of metabolic, lung, and cardiac problems.

Sleep Apnea and Cardiovascular Health

Sleep apnea affects the cardiovascular system as a whole in several ways. With every breathing delay, the body's oxygen supply diminishes, triggering the "fight or flight" response. The sleeper is awakened and forced to open their airway again as a result of this reaction, which raises their pulse rate and blood pressure. It repeats this pattern all night long. The cyclical increase and fall of blood oxygen levels can cause inflammation, which can lead to atherosclerosis, a buildup of plaque in the blood vessels associated with heart attacks, strokes, and high blood pressure..

Furthermore, sleep apnea disrupts the part of the neurological system that controls blood flow and pulse, alters the flow of oxygen and carbon dioxide, increases blood levels of glucose and carbon dioxide, and results in insulin resistance. Thus, among other problems, sleep apnea is associated with the following metabolic, pulmonary, and cardiac problems:

Elevated blood pressure, or hypertension

• Other arrhythmias, including atrial fibrillation

• Heart failure

• Transient ischemic attacks (TIAs, also referred to as "mini-strokes") and stroke

• Coronary heart disease

• Diabetes type 2

• Metabolic syndrome (dyslipidemia, diabetes, hypertension, and obesity)

Can Losing Weight Cure Sleep Apnea?

Like many other conditions, sleep apnea is treated by changing one's lifestyle and behavior. Working for a healthy body weight is part of this for the majority of OSA patients. Losing weight lessens fat buildup in the tongue and neck. 

 Many of the symptoms associated with OSA, including daytime drowsiness, can also be considerably reduced by losing weight. Furthermore, there is a notable improvement in irritability and other neuropsychiatric disorders. Overall, there has been an improvement in type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular health.