Treating SA with Weight Loss?

[lwieland11@gmail.com]

Hi -

Was wondering if anyone had ever avoided BIPAP by losing a significant amount of weight. I've gained 20 pounds in the past 3 years so my current pressure of 13 is no longer effective. My sleep study in December was inconclusive. My sleep doctor wants me to do a second sleep study with BIPAP this time. I'm desperately trying to avoid the cost of the study itself as well as a BIPAP machine and possibly a third study with even more equipment. Thinking that maybe if I can lose 20 lbs., I can remain on CPAP with an adjustment to a lower pressure. Anyone ever done that successfully?

[SewTired]

Please post your equipment. If you are able to use it, Sleepyhead can tell you where you stand now. Upload a snapshot and someone can help. Weight gain doesn't usually push someone from a cpap to a bipap - it's usually something more complex than that.

[chunkyfrog]

This song and dance about weight loss and apnea is so tiresome!
Weight loss (excess) does a lot of good things, and can even improve your breathing,
but claiming it "cures" apnea is just plain irresponsible.
Excuse me while I go in a corner and have a quiet tantrum..

[BlackSpinner]

According to studies I have read based on weight loss surgery, your chance of treating OSA with weight loss is about 49%.

Some need more pressure after weight loss.

[LSAT]

Hi -

Was wondering if anyone had ever avoided BIPAP by losing a significant amount of weight. I've gained 20 pounds in the past 3 years so my current pressure of 13 is no longer effective. My sleep study in December was inconclusive. My sleep doctor wants me to do a second sleep study with BIPAP this time. I'm desperately trying to avoid the cost of the study itself as well as a BIPAP machine and possibly a third study with even more equipment. Thinking that maybe if I can lose 20 lbs., I can remain on CPAP with an adjustment to a lower pressure. Anyone ever done that successfully?

You need to see WHY 13 not effective. ...And...how do you and your doctor KNOW that it is not effective? Your doctor is just guessing that you need a bipap. Let us know what equipment you have now. If you have a data capable machine, download Sleepyhead Software. The graphs will show what's not working.

[chunkyfrog]

Happy birthday, Blackspinner!

[lwieland11]

I did post my equipment..early on..but it's not showing. Where do I enter it?

[lwieland11@gmail.com]

Can't open Sleepyhead software on my Mac as it is from "an unknown developer." Any way around that?

[LSAT]

Be consistent and SIGN IN when you post

[Goofproof]

This song and dance about weight loss and apnea is so tiresome!
Weight loss (excess) does a lot of good things, and can even improve your breathing,
but claiming it "cures" apnea is just plain irresponsible.
Excuse me while I go in a corner and have a quiet tantrum..

YES, I heard of One person lost 30 lb, stopped using a CPAP that he needed, and died in 3 months of heart failure, brought on by his de-nile, and lack of the fortitude to treat sleep apnea. He may have died happy, except for the last ten minutes. Jim

[4Nrmike]

Can't open Sleepyhead software on my Mac as it is from "an unknown developer." Any way around that?

If you hold done the command button when you click it, then click open, it will still give you the warning but should also have an option to open anyway.

[Woody]

A while back I lost 50lbs and it made a huge change in my average pressure
it drooped from 14 way down to 13 ( yes I am sarcastic ) But seriously that
was all it did for my OSA. And in a few of us may even need more pressure
after weight loss. This happened to a friend of mine who lost 80 lbs and is no
longer fat. She had to have another sleep study where they raised her pressure
form 12 to 15 ! We don't talk about it much but some aerobic exercise even
without any weight loss ofton helps too. One study I looked at reported a
42% reduction in AHI. Then another study just reported a 25% reduction in
AHI with a note that the subjects only lost 1.3lbs because of the exercise
so it wasn't the weight loss that was helping there AHI. Then I saw one small
study of only about 30 people where the average reduction in AHI was about
30% but they plotted how each person did. One poor guy had his AHI jump
up about 2 but on the other extreme one fellow had his AHI drop from about
40 to 0 .

[kteague]

I think your title might contribute to a misunderstanding of your intent, although your initial post was quite clear that you are not looking to not use CPAP, just trying to prevent going to a bilevel machine. While you are working towards getting the data from your autoset machine, can you tell us what your pressure settings are as well as your AHI? It may be that a small tweak of your settings could resolve your issues. What made you go back for another study - was your AHI high? Unless you're having some issues we haven't discussed yet, your machine still has room for to raise the pressure and maybe be effective. I wouldn't invest any more money until you are reasonably certain it is truly a need. It will be interesting to hear more from you.

[LizaLouise]

I have been all but assured my OSA will disappear as I lose weight. I am very doubtful. I grew up not knowing it was strange that my parents had their own bedrooms because they both snored so horribly! And neither were overweight. I'm also 90% sure it's why my Mum dropped dead at 57 for seemingly no reason. It was never treated but her snores could wake the house. If you're not getting the oxygen you need, please don't chance it.

[Woody]

I wonder if sometimes a DR. make a statement like that
just to make you more committed to losing weight. Or
if he is just misinformed.