Losing weight lowers the air pressure number??

[daisy56]

Hello sleep friends. I've been at this for about 3 months I think.
Anyway, I just saw my Doctor Monday and she said Im adjusting quite well. My air pressure number averages to about 9
and Im having about 3 AHI per hour it shows.

Question, this 3 AHI number....could this possibly mean Im just having deep shallow breathing at this time, or does this
(and can she know the difference) mean Im actually having the 'stop of breathing"'?

2 question - She said the air pressure number 9 that I appear to be averaging at could come down once I lose more weight.
Has this happened to anyone else? Actually this was my question to her and she just agreed, but I just want more evidence
that this is something that can and has happened to others. I know the number shouldnt be so important to me....
but for some reason I obsessing on it - shoot me.

Hope you all have a comfy, peaceful sleep ~

[Goofproof]

Hello sleep friends. I've been at this for about 3 months I think.
Anyway, I just saw my Doctor Monday and she said Im adjusting quite well. My air pressure number averages to about 9
and Im having about 3 AHI per hour it shows.

Question, this 3 AHI number....could this possibly mean Im just having deep shallow breathing at this time, or does this
(and can she know the difference) mean Im actually having the 'stop of breathing"'?

2 question - She said the air pressure number 9 that I appear to be averaging at could come down once I lose more weight.
Has this happened to anyone else? Actually this was my question to her and she just agreed, but I just want more evidence
that this is something that can and has happened to others. I know the number shouldnt be so important to me....
but for some reason I obsessing on it - shoot me.

Hope you all have a comfy, peaceful sleep ~

Unless she has and uses the software that shows full data for your daily sleep, I'd say no! I doubt that she does, but that won't stop her from guessing about how you are doing, I would suggest you get the software and find out for yourself.

Weight loss will help your general health but may have little bearing on your airway pressure needs. You are not obsessing you are concerned as you should be, we can only trust ourselves. Jim

[Emilia]

I use a fairly low pressure range of 7.5-10.5 on my auto cpap.... and in the last 13 months I've lost 31 lbs. My pressure has not changed one little bit. My nightly AHI is still the same 1.5 or below every single night. If I can lose the other 20 lbs I'd like to lose..... it will be interesting to see if it impacts my pressure needs, but I don't anticipate it.

[Goofproof]

I use a fairly low pressure range of 7.5-10.5 on my auto cpap.... and in the last 13 months I've lost 31 lbs. My pressure has not changed one little bit. My nightly AHI is still the same 1.5 or below every single night. If I can lose the other 20 lbs I'd like to lose..... it will be interesting to see if it impacts my pressure needs, but I don't anticipate it.

I hate to confess but over the last 7 years I've gained 50 lb, but my pressure hasn't went up. Jim

[DavidCarolina]

From what I know and have read and been advised, getting to an ideal weight is definitely a major factor in DESCREASING the problems
of apnea in general. Of course, you may have congential issues in which it makes no difference.

Also, sleeping on your stomach or side is a major help in preventing problems. DO some research on it.

Finally, when and what you eat bears a factor that is sometimes missed here. For me, alcohol, aspartame, dairy, and gluten all cause me to have
respiration problems.....which in turn cause increased apnea issues.

You have to find out exactly what is going on......which is always the hard part.

Ive been through it all, and I can tell you that Mayo Clinic isnt much better at "diagnosing" exact problems than many hole in the wall physician
groups. They get tunnel vision and dont take in the whole picture.

But getting to your ideal weight has so many OTHER benefits that it should be a top priority regardless. YOu will just plain live longer for one thing.

I also really recommend walking as a lifestyle (or biking or swimming). I walk an hour a day six days a week, slow pace, but those six hours pack
a lot of health benefit.

Getting plenty of sleep is also huge--stress is a killer. Sleep heals your body and mind.

In extreme cases, oxygen and these hyperbaric chambers can help a desperate situation.

[slapmeawake]

I lost 60lbs. and my pressure was lowered from 9 to 5. I set my range now from 4 - 9 and my 90% is 5.1. Dr. even wanted me to try without the machine since my numbers are so low. Keep in mind that I started with very mild apnea that was probably weight related. I still sleep better with that little bit of pressure. So yes, losing weight can bring your numbers down but other things come into play.

[archangle]

Doctors seem to feel compelled to lie to you and tell you that losing weight is going to help whatever ails you. Yes, losing weight is probably a good thing for most of us, but there are a lot of things it doesn't help. They'll also tell you that eating right, exercising, visiting the doctor regularly, etc. is going to improve any particular ailment that is bothering you. Then, when you do it, and it doesn't help, they say "well, it would have been worse if you hadn't done it" or "It doesn't work for everyone."

Many CPAPers don't eliminate the need for CPAP or even significantly improve their pressure when they lose weight. A few do see an improvement. Don't forget that there are lots of skinny apneacs.

Losing weight is still probably a good idea for most of us.

[2 B Sleeping Soundly]

archangle wrote: Many CPAPers don't eliminate the need for CPAP or even significantly improve their pressure when they lose weight. A few do see an improvement. Don't forget that there are lots of skinny apneacs.

Good Point! For me looking back over the last 18 - 20 years, now that I know the symptoms and effects of OSA, my Apnea was always there. It didn't seem to matter if I was closer to my ideal weight or if I was carrying around extra pounds. Though, I also must agree that for me extra weight definitely exasperates my overall health and how my body reacts to the OSA symptoms and effects.

But at least now I can truly say with 100% conviction... "Hi, my name is John. I am a skinny Apneac stuck in an over-weight Apneac's body"

John

[VikingGnome]

Well I can testify that GAINING 30 pounds over 12 years increased my CPAP needs from 10 to 15. And my AHI without CPAP went from 25.4 to 66.7. Weight loss should help me some since the weight gain made it bad.

Whether ALL people will see reduction in sleep apnea really depends on the individual. My orthodontist told me when I got braces decades ago that I was brachycephalic. Basically, I have a disproportionately short face compared with the width. We're talking about the FACIAL and SKULL bone anatomy and has nothing to do weight. I have been a loud snorer as long as I can remember. My current sleep doctor says I have very prominent tonsillar pillars that obstruct half of my throat. That could be surgically corrected but I will probably still have OSA. Research has shown that brachycephalic people are prone to have OSA.

Also, if you have central apnea problems, weight loss isn't going to change those. That deals with communications in the brain that tell you to breath.

So the standard "lose weight and your sleep apnea will get better" mantra the sleep docs feed us is not true for everybody. If your primary cause of OSA is obesity, then probably. If it's a mix of things, you can't really know.

[archangle]

The big risk here is people who say "I won't do CPAP, I'll just lose weight." Then they don't actually lose weight, lose it too slowly, don't lose enough, or do lose weight, assume they're cured, and still have apnea.

Plus the patients and even doctors who think someone can't have apnea because they're thin.

Yes, lose the excess pounds. Just don't count on it being a cure for apnea.

[Uncle_Bob]

but if you lose the weight you have no idea if it gets lost around your throat.

once your throat gets fat it stays fat is what i was told by my doc

[portiemom]

Losing weight has never lowered my cpap level, and I know now that I had OSA as a very young child, and this recovery process will be life long for me, regardless of weight, which right now is fine. It is most definately an individaul thing whether weight will effect your cpap cm level.

[lcw]

I had heard the same thing, and was pretty excited about the prospect after I recently lost 30+ lbs. I moved recently and went to a new sleep doc, and when I asked him about it, he said no matter how much weight I loose, my tongue won't shrink. His point being my OSA isn't so much a matter of my weight, but my physiological make up. To follow up on that, my previous family doctor was a tiny thin man, but had a worse case of OSA than I do at roughly double his size.

[MDALE]

Great discussion - exactly the kind that keeps me coming back and participating in the board. There is so much to learn and plenty of knowledgeable people here!

[daisy56]

Well dang! I was hoping to hear differently. Oh well, like several mentioned, it never hurts to lose the weight anyway.
I am still anxious to see if the air pressure number comes down after I lose 25+ pounds. I'm on a serious, but healthy diet
so I will definitely update you all. I do understand if this does work, it may not work for everyone. Its worth a try anyway.
OK, so 25+ pounds overweight. Air pressure at 9. I'm having about 3 AHI an hour. I will update after the 25 pounds is gone!

Oh, and the Doctor that said you don't lose weight in the neck?? Maybe the Doctor meant if you had a thick tongue or big tonsils... ofcourse there is nothing to shrink those, if there were I'd be applying it all over my tummy!

Thanks so much for all the info my sleeping buddies