Weight Loss and Cpap

[Pugsy]

Rested Rebel I just wanted to give you a big pat on the back for what you have accomplished so far.
Congratulations on your success.

[RestedRebel]

Thanks, Pugsy. I just wanted to update and continue sharing in hopes of encouraging those new to cpap not to give up. It's so worth it and so life-changing in a positive way.

[ironhands]

huge congrats. I'm 235 at 5'11 right now, I'm hoping I'll be able to drop about 20-30 once I'm sleeping properly. I'm biking around an hour a day to/from work, but it's hard to do when you feel like napping half-way there

[snoringshrink]

Congratulations. I had a gastric bypass four months ago, am 25 pounds from my goal weight and still require my CPAP at the same settings as always. Conversely, my wife had a sleeve gastrectomy 10 months, is at goal weight and does not need her machine any more. Moral: It varies from person to person.

[apneor]

I have always wondered about that too. I am going to try and lose weight to see if it works but I am also wondering whether cpap users get some dependence from using the machine like with any other medication particularly those addictive ones.

so my point is (I am just assuming now) that once one gets started on cpap they will get used to it and as time passes they may require more and more pressure so eventually they might not be able to get rid of it even if they lose weight because something might have changed in their airways and it might need permanent therapy.

I have always assumed that if someone is not extremely overweight it is better to try and lose weight to see if they can eliminate apneas before starting a cpap therapy because as I have mentioned above starting the machine therapy may make them dependent on it and will never be able to stop it.

I might be wrong about all that I am wondering about so if anyone has any reliable information or experience in regards to that issue please correct me.

[DreamStalker]

I have always wondered about that too. I am going to try and lose weight to see if it works but I am also wondering whether cpap users get some dependence from using the machine like with any other medication particularly those addictive ones.

so my point is (I am just assuming now) that once one gets started on cpap they will get used to it and as time passes they may require more and more pressure so eventually they might not be able to get rid of it even if they lose weight because something might have changed in their airways and it might need permanent therapy.

I have always assumed that if someone is not extremely overweight it is better to try and lose weight to see if they can eliminate apneas before starting a cpap therapy because as I have mentioned above starting the machine therapy may make them dependent on it and will never be able to stop it.

I might be wrong about all that I am wondering about so if anyone has any reliable information or experience in regards to that issue please correct me.

Having sleep apnea does not equal being obese/overweight.
Being obese/overweight does not equal having sleep apnea.
Having said that, there may be a correlation between sleep apnea and being obese/overweight.
I hope that clears everything up for you.

[RestedRebel]

I have always wondered about that too. I am going to try and lose weight to see if it works but I am also wondering whether cpap users get some dependence from using the machine like with any other medication particularly those addictive ones.

so my point is (I am just assuming now) that once one gets started on cpap they will get used to it and as time passes they may require more and more pressure so eventually they might not be able to get rid of it even if they lose weight because something might have changed in their airways and it might need permanent therapy.

I have always assumed that if someone is not extremely overweight it is better to try and lose weight to see if they can eliminate apneas before starting a cpap therapy because as I have mentioned above starting the machine therapy may make them dependent on it and will never be able to stop it.

I might be wrong about all that I am wondering about so if anyone has any reliable information or experience in regards to that issue please correct me.

Having sleep apnea does not equal being obese/overweight.
Being obese/overweight does not equal having sleep apnea.
Having said that, there may be a correlation between sleep apnea and being obese/overweight.
I hope that clears everything up for you.

I agree and don't want to be misleading. Sleep apnea helped cause my obesity, but the verdict is still out on whether or not the apnea will disappear once I lose all the weight I want to. So far, there has been little change in the amount of pressure I need. I used to snore as a child and had problems with narrow breathing passages, and I suspect that I may need to use the machine for the rest of my life. It may be that age and heredity is a bigger factor with regards to my sleep apnea. Regardless, losing the weight makes me feel better overall, so it's a win-win situation.

[apneor]

I have always wondered about that too. I am going to try and lose weight to see if it works but I am also wondering whether cpap users get some dependence from using the machine like with any other medication particularly those addictive ones.

so my point is (I am just assuming now) that once one gets started on cpap they will get used to it and as time passes they may require more and more pressure so eventually they might not be able to get rid of it even if they lose weight because something might have changed in their airways and it might need permanent therapy.

I have always assumed that if someone is not extremely overweight it is better to try and lose weight to see if they can eliminate apneas before starting a cpap therapy because as I have mentioned above starting the machine therapy may make them dependent on it and will never be able to stop it.

I might be wrong about all that I am wondering about so if anyone has any reliable information or experience in regards to that issue please correct me.

Having sleep apnea does not equal being obese/overweight.
Being obese/overweight does not equal having sleep apnea.
Having said that, there may be a correlation between sleep apnea and being obese/overweight.
I hope that clears everything up for you.

Dream I'm sorry it didn't clear it up because my point was not just obesity and apnea but rather whether one becomes addicted to the pressure they are getting like when one gets addicted to some kinds of medication and needs higher and higher doses as the treatment goes on like with blood pressure medications or anxiety or depression you know what dose we start on and where we get eventually. I hope the medication example clears up what I meant.

[BlackSpinner]

Dream I'm sorry it didn't clear it up because my point was not just obesity and apnea but rather whether one becomes addicted to the pressure they are getting like when one gets addicted to some kinds of medication and needs higher and higher doses as the treatment goes on like with blood pressure medications or anxiety or depression you know what dose we start on and where we get eventually. I hope the medication example clears up what I meant.

Yes, sort off. Your body is very happy to get consistent sleep and O2. If you take that away from anybody they will have issues, so yes, humans, like most mammals, are addicted to air and sleep.

Most people need more pressure as they age due to everything going downhill.

[Janknitz]

Dream I'm sorry it didn't clear it up because my point was not just obesity and apnea but rather whether one becomes addicted to the pressure they are getting like when one gets addicted to some kinds of medication and needs higher and higher doses as the treatment goes on like with blood pressure medications or anxiety or depression you know what dose we start on and where we get eventually. I hope the medication example clears up what I meant.

I don't think that your body gets acclimated to the pressure and needs more and more to prevent apneas--I haven't seen any evidence of that. There may be physical reasons for changes in your airway that cause you to need increased pressure--weight gain, muscle weakness from aging or disease, airway irritation from gastric problems, etc. But most people probably don't need ever increasing pressure--if that was the case, sleep doctors would be a lot more interested in seeing us for follow-up and retesting. And more of us would need BiPAP's.

We've seen some people here lose weight and get off CPAP, and we've seen some people here lose weight and need MORE pressure. Suffice to say that major physical changes warrant a re-evaluation to see if your needs have changed.

[JohnBFisher]

... We've seen some people here lose weight and get off CPAP, and we've seen some people here lose weight and need MORE pressure. Suffice to say that major physical changes warrant a re-evaluation to see if your needs have changed. ...

While increased weight does not help obstructive apnea, it is not the only cause of it.

I've mentioned before, when I was still a teen my sister complained that I sounded just like my grandfather .. who we're pretty certain had obstructive sleep apnea. I'm pretty certain that I also did when I was just 13 or so. And I was a skinny, underweight kid. So, if weight was the cause I would not have been snoring. But in my case weight was not the cause, but the RESULT of the obstructive sleep apnea.

By the way, my compliments to RestedRebel for both the weight loss and the willingness to share your results to encourage others!! Kudos for both actions!

[Janknitz]

I've mentioned before, when I was still a teen my sister complained that I sounded just like my grandfather .. who we're pretty certain had obstructive sleep apnea. I'm pretty certain that I also did when I was just 13 or so. And I was a skinny, underweight kid. So, if weight was the cause I would not have been snoring. But in my case weight was not the cause, but the RESULT of the obstructive sleep apnea.

No argument there, John. I have micrgnathia-very small lower jaw from a genetic disorder plus a narrow palate. Apnea is not going away despite my current 65 lb weightloss and even when I lose more. But my pressure needs seem to have decreased and may decrease more. I believe I've had apnea my entire live and I haven't always been obese.