Anyone average weight/thin using cpap?

debstieb · Post by **debstieb** » Mon Apr 14, 2008 12:18 pm

I am curious about this because I am about 20 lbs over my ideal weight, but had snoring and apneas before I gained the extra weight. Is it a weight issue, or is it an anatomical issue?

Deb

Wulfman · Post by **Wulfman** » Mon Apr 14, 2008 12:27 pm

Lots of "normal-sized" to "thin" people have sleep apnea.......I'm not one of them (at the present time).

It's a situation that can feed on itself. The sleep apnea (and bad or too little sleep in general) probably (in many/most cases) is the original root cause of the weight gain......then with the weight gain, the apnea gets worse.

Heredity can also play a part in this.

Den

andy88488 · Post by **andy88488** » Mon Apr 14, 2008 12:48 pm

debstieb wrote:I am curious about this because I am about 20 lbs over my ideal weight, but had snoring and apneas before I gained the extra weight. Is it a weight issue, or is it an anatomical issue?

Deb

Definitely anatomical and/or hereditary. I too am 20 lbs overweight, but snored like a buzz-saw even when thin. I got it from my father, who is a textbook apnea case.

sharon1965 · Post by **sharon1965** » Mon Apr 14, 2008 1:36 pm

i've only been overweight for the last 3 years...up till then i was always low to normal weight...very suddenly i began to gain weight rapidly, culminating in a 40 lbs gain in less than six months...i absolutely believe that the weight i've gained recently was due to untreated OSA, that my body had finally had enough and since then i've been experiencing a physical breakdown...my OSA is anatomical and hereditary

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Apr 14, 2008 1:46 pm

Yup, I'm right there with you. Perhaps a litte "fluffy", but really at only the top range of appropriate weight for my height, BMI of 25. I don't know if I am predisposed to it through heredity as I am adopted, but I have been a mouth breather since I was little, snored pretty impressively as long as I can remember. I don't know long I've had the actual apnea problem since I've just been diagnosed, but the snoring has stayed with me through weights that range from 30 pounds less to 25 pounds more than where I am right now.

Peggy

Snoredog · Post by **Snoredog** » Mon Apr 14, 2008 2:29 pm

growing old sucks don't it?

Pineapple · Post by **Pineapple** » Mon Apr 14, 2008 3:11 pm

I was a toothpick until I had my youngest 7 years ago. I'm heavier now than I've ever been but that goes with not "being 18" anymore. I should point out I've been symptomatic for apnea for 40 years.

Bearded_One · Post by **Bearded_One** » Mon Apr 14, 2008 3:42 pm

I was not overweight when I started using CPAP.

CamiTampa · Post by **CamiTampa** » Mon Apr 14, 2008 8:00 pm

I never passed 135 lbs in my entire life (48 year old 5,10 male,) until I quit smoking 10 months ago and gained 50 pounds. I was diagnosed over ten years ago but left it untreated until last year. I was very thin when I was diagnosed.
Thin people suffer too.

erik67 · Post by **erik67** » Tue Apr 15, 2008 5:52 am

I have lost about 35 lbs. in the last 9 months. Because I have a data machine with APAP, I can see that my max. pressure has gone down significantly (12-14 originally, now 6 to 7). Unfortunately, I do not see the OSA going away completely. So I guess that as has been said in other posts, extra weight can definitely exacerbate OSA, but being thin does not necessarily exempt you from it!

Slinky · Post by **Slinky** » Tue Apr 15, 2008 6:01 am

5'4", weighed 105-120 since 13 years of age except for during pregnancies or illness taking me down to 90 lbs. 113 lbs when Dx'd w/apnea, 106 lbs now. No known anatomical reasons other than a very slightly deviated septum.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Apr 15, 2008 8:25 am

I am on the borderline of "underweight" (BMI 18.7, 5'8" and 123 pounds) and have had severe UARS forever (diagnosed 3 years ago....not before then, because of the stereotype that "only overweight snorers need to be tested for sleep apnea"). The techs laugh everytime I go in and they have to wrap certain straps around my body nearly twice to get them to fit.

In my case it's definitely structural (not weight related), which is common for UARS. (Young, thin women are overrepresented among those with the condition.)

My doc told me that if I were able to gain enough weight to hit "overweight", I would have a full-blown case of OSA, which would mean I'd actually have insurance coverage for my "hardware" (I pay out of pocket for masks, the machine, etc. since my insurer won't cover UARS, only OSA....even though CPAP therapy has been moderately effective).

MrRandom · Post by **MrRandom** » Tue Apr 15, 2008 11:10 am

I'm not overweight and have severe OSA

debstieb · Post by **debstieb** » Tue Apr 15, 2008 5:50 pm

When I went for my sleep study 6-7 months ago the RT told me apnea was from being overweight. I am about 20 lbs over what I should be, but I know I have had this since childhood. I was an extremely thin kid, but was always sick with upper respiratory/ear infections. I had to have tonsils out and tubes in my ears at age 5. I think narrow passages along with conditions that cause an inflamatory response make symptoms worse. Some nights I feel like I can do ok without the machine, but some nights I am afraid to sleep without it.

Deb

roster · Post by **roster** » Tue Apr 15, 2008 6:14 pm

I'm thin, 6 feet/170 lbs., severe OSA.

Met plenty of slim people with OSA.

Doctors have a lot to learn.

Anyone average weight/thin using cpap?

Anyone average weight/thin using cpap?

Re: Anyone average weight/thin using cpap?

Thank you for replies