weight & cpap

[enso]

Has anyone heard of someone losing weight and not needing cpap anymore? Can losing weight change what pressure is needed?

[kteague]

Any weight change can potentially change pressure needs. If a person never had sleep apnea before gaining weight, losing weight could resolve the sleep apnea. The thing that's hard to know is if the sleep apnea caused the weight gain or the weight gain caused the sleep apnea. So many trim fit people have sleep apnea due to things like jaw or throat structure, so underneath an overweight person could be that fit trim person with OSA.

I've heard people say they are going to try losing weight instead of using cpap. The scary thing about that to me is that during the process they are unprotected. Having untreated OSA can make losing weight very hard as it can disrupt hormones that affect weight. If I were one who lost weight (wish I was) I certainly would want to be checked afterward in case I was one of the lucky ones and could quit using cpap. I personally don't hold out much hope in my case as my father had it and was not overweight, and I've been symptomatic long before the weight gain. But everyone's case is different. Good luck.
Kathy

[slapmeawake]

I have lost 55 lbs. so far and my pressure requirements dropped from 9 to 8. Not much difference!! I really thought losing weight would help but as I lost weight I actually had more trouble with my therapy. I still wake up every 2 or 3 hrs. I think it is hormonal more than apnea related as my numbers are quite good. I slept really well until menopause kicked in and that is also when my apnea issues surfaced. I gained a lot of weight. I was overweight to begin with so the extra weight was really a strain. I was headed toward diabetes and had high blood pressure. Now my sugar numbers are normal and so is my blood pressure so I got off the BP meds. Losing weight is great for those issues but it hasn't been a magic bullet for me for my apnea. I am thinking of asking the dr. for hormone therapy but since I am 8 years past menopause I don't think she will give it to me. I am desperate to sleep through the night. The sleep I do get is much more restorative so I'm grateful for that but wish I could sleep a good 6 straight hrs. So losing weight is not going to cure apnea for the majority of people. I hope you will be one of the lucky ones if you lose weight.

[BeanMeScot]

Weight loss usually only corrects apnea for those with mild apnea. Usually people with more severe issues will just notice a drop in the necessary pressure. A good reason to have a data capable machine. So you can find out that your pressure needs are less without needing to have another sleep studdy done!

[rosiefrosie]

I have lost over 40 pounds in the past year and still have sleep apnea. I am now at the weight I should be. So my weight was not a factor in causing sleep apnea.

Rosie

[enso]

slapmeawake, RE the menopause thing: I attended a conference that included staff from the Women's Health Clinic div. of the Mayo. One of the services they provide are menopause consultations with experts in several relevant fields. They might have some useful information online.

From my notes, they mentioned a whole slew of things for menopause-related sleep disturbance: exercise, sleep hygiene, 20-30 min. quiet time before bedtime (no tv), hot tea (chamomile, passion flower), vitamin B6, meditation/relaxation. I see hormone therapy isn't in the list.

One tidbit they shared is women's bodies deposit fat to try to maintain estrogen levels. Isn't that a double-edged factor!

I hope this information is helpful to you. BTW, that is excellent weight loss! As someone who also would like to lose some weight, how did you do it?

[slapmeawake]

I joined Weight Watchers to lose the weight. It really is a great program. I still have 30 more pounds to go but I feel so much better. I will check out the Mayo Clinic info online but I have tried some of these things already. Menopause has really wrecked my sleep. I think this is a fairly common menopause symptom but there doesn't seem to be a lot of therapies that work. My sleep issues got worse not better after losing weight, go figure. I think it might be that when I was heavier the fat held more estrogen and that let me sleep better. Thanks for the advice.

[NEEDSTOSLEEP]

A male friend just lost 75 lbs and his apnea got worse. Go figure

[kebsa]

i dropped over 120 pounds and it amde no difference to my sleep apnea- not even the obstructive component but my dad was not overweight and he had severe sleep apnea, i remember my mum saying i took after him because even as a skinny little kid i snored like a trooper according to her- in hindsigth i should have been sensible and had the sleep apnea assessed a long time before we did!

[scotty]

Not too long after I joined this forum there was someone on here who was a regular, very nice, helpful, known and loved by everyone, and one day she wrote that she after losing some weight she was being taken off of CPAP therapy. I think her name was Lori. Not sure if she's still on here.

For me, when I started CPAP a few years ago I was advised that I should try to lose some (body fat) weight -- about 20 lbs then, 30 lbs now -- but told that would only help, not cure, my apnea, and I'll probably need to stay on CPAP the rest of my life. It's suspected that I was probably undiagnosed since high school (5'6" and 120 lbs) and possibly since I was in elementary school where I was probably slightly on the skinnier side of average.

So, I have heard of someone losing weight and not needing cpap anymore; and, from what my doctor told me, if I lose weight my apnea will be less severe, but not be eliminated. I don't know if having milder apnea would mean a change in my pressure, though.

Has anyone heard of someone losing weight and not needing cpap anymore? Can losing weight change what pressure is needed?

[TSSleepy]

My personal opinion is that the medical profession has sort of gotten muddled on this question.

I think there are two reasons for the "muddlement":

1) Obesity Hypoventilation Syndrome
It is possible to gain enough body weight that it "crowds" your lungs and makes it more difficult to get full, deep breaths. If you're fat like me, and end up holding your breath while trying to put on your shoes and socks...you know what I'm talking about. Obviously it's possible to have obstructive sleep apnea AND obesity hypoventilation syndrome. So losing weight may help with part of the problem, but not "cure" you completely.

2) Severity of symptoms
Let's look at two people. One is a 300 pound couch potato with obstructive sleep apnea, and the other is a 150 pound marathon runner. If you limited both of these people's air flow equally, which one will have more severe symptoms. I can't speak for everyone, but I know the answer for me. My symptoms get more severe as I gain weight (and my oxygen requirements increase, and my cardiovascular fitness declines).

But I still have obstructive sleep apnea, because my tongue and soft palate collapses and blocks my throat. My throat collapsing will happen no matter what my weight is...it's just a question of how bad the resulting oxygen deprivation will hurt me.

I'm not a doctor, but that's what I believe is happening to me.

[cajun]

Just another data point for this thread - I am at "Normal Weight" on the BMI table and exercise regularly...and I have mild apnea.

[DreamStalker]

I have lost over 65 lbs since starting CPAP therapy ... my CPAP pressure needs remain unchanged.

However, my BP is great and although I'm still taking meds -- my dosage has been reduced to the lowest amount available and then I split those pills and take half now, my cholesterol stats are excellent (HDL is a bit low but that too is improving), my prediabetes/metabolic syndrome is reversing (visibly, my acanthosis nigricans and skin tags are gradually disappearing), and I'm feeling younger all the time. I still have some belly fat to loose but I'm more than half-way there.

I have no desire or hope in ending my CPAP treatment as I know quite well it is my fountain of youth (I wake up with a boner every morning ... and life is good, cuz I breathe 24/7).