Overcoming apnea with weight loss

[keahinui@gmail.com]

My sleep doctor told me that people don't usually overcome apnea by losing weight. I was very disappointed to hear this, as I was hoping my CPAP would be temporary and I wouldn't be using it for the rest of my life, just until I lost the weight I had put on. Does anyone know anything more about this? I'm a newbie, have only been using CPAP for about three months, but can honestly say, it almost certainly my life. I was on the verge of either a heart attack or dying in a car accident, from falling asleep behind the wheel. Still, I hope the day comes when I can let go of it.

[palerider]

My sleep doctor told me that people don't usually overcome apnea by losing weight.

Holy crap, it's a unicorn masquerading as a sleep doctor.

That one's a rarity, someone that's realized that sleep apnea isn't just for fat old men anymore

I was very disappointed to hear this, as I was hoping my CPAP would be temporary and I wouldn't be using it for the rest of my life, just until I lost the weight I had put on. Does anyone know anything more about this? I'm a newbie, have only been using CPAP for about three months, but can honestly say, it almost certainly my life. I was on the verge of either a heart attack or dying in a car accident, from falling asleep behind the wheel.

Still, I hope the day comes when I can let go of it.

Did you ever consider that weight gain may have been a side effect of your *genetic* sleep apnea?

[LSAT]

https://www.cpap.com/blog/link-cpap-weight-loss/

[Bigmike52]

You need to take a more positive look on Cpap therapy and weight loss. The weight loss alone will reduce the risk of diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, a-fib, and a host of other diseases including OSA. As Palerider says not all people diagnosed with OSA are obese, however 75% are. That percentile needs to treat the disease and the most effective seems to be Cpap therapy. I read the link from LSAT and disagree with it just because it comes from a commercial company who supports this forum and sells Cpap supplies. It's obvious others agree with me by the comments with the article. Please read the excerpt I have cut out from the Ochsner Journal below:
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_ OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA AND OBESITY: Obstructive sleep apnea is strongly associated with obesity. Obese individuals (BMI >30 kg/m(2)) are at higher risk for OSA compared with non-obese individuals and up to 75% of OSA patients are obese. It is hypothesized that obese individuals have large deposits of fat in the neck that cause the upper airway to collapse in the supine position during sleep. The observations reported from several studies support the hypothesis that AHIs (or RDIs) are significantly reduced with weight loss in obese individuals. OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES: Associations have been shown between OSA and comorbidities such as diabetes mellitus and hypertension, which are known risk factors for myocardial infarction and stroke. Patients with more severe forms of OSA (based on AHI) report poorer quality of life and increased health care utilization compared with patients with milder forms of OSA. From animal models, it is hypothesized that sleep fragmentation results in glucose intolerance and hypertension. There is, however, no evidence from prospective studies in humans to establish a causal link between OSA and hypertension or diabetes mellitus. It is also not clear that the associations between OSA and other diseases are independent of obesity; in most of these studies, patients with higher values of AHI had higher values of BMI compared with patients with lower AHI values. A recent meta-analysis of bariatric surgery has shown that weight loss in obese individuals (mean BMI = 46.8 kg/m(2); range = 32.30-68.80) significantly improved their health profile. Diabetes was resolved in 76.8% of patients, hypertension was resolved in 61.7% of patients, hyperlipidemia improved in 70% of patients, and OSA resolved in 85.7% of patients. This suggests that obesity leads to OSA, diabetes, and hypertension, rather than OSA independently causing diabetes and hypertension. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED)___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I created my problem from overeating and it's my responsibility to take full charge of my own health with the assistance of other qualified individuals. Mike

[chunkyfrog]

Since it makes sense to address BOTH issues, why quibble?
As for references to experts, remember that we cannot know where everyone's loyalties lie.
Anyone pushing a one step solution, probably has a dog in the fight.

[zonker]

hi and welcome aboard!

unfortunately, we are all in this for the long haul. and really, it's not that bad. think of the alternative-dying behind the wheel because you fall asleep while driving.

the therapy does get easier as you go on. you get used to it and won't even think twice about it.

think of it as palerider has said before. compare it to wearing glasses. if you wear glasses, your vision improves. without it, not. with cpap, your breathing and sleep improves.

the experts here can help you improve your therapy. if you want to do that, please read this post-

viewtopic/t172378/Sticky--Newbies-PLEAS ... STING.html

you can make it, if you try.

good luck!

[Janknitz]

Even if weight loss "cured" OSA (and it does seem to in SOME--not all--cases) the chances of keeping the weight off are abysmal--most people regain all the weight they lost plus more in less than one year (I've seen stats that say 98% of people who lose at least 10% of their body weight gain it back within one year!). Even when people have weight loss surgery, the statistics show that most people have regained the weight within 5 years. So it's not a very good strategy to depend on weight loss.

Try not to think of CPAP forever. One night at a time. Someday you'll get to the point where forever doesn't matter anymore--some of us feel like they will have to pry the CPAP out of our cold, dead hands!

[Grace~~~]

Try not to think of CPAP forever. One night at a time. Someday you'll get to the point where forever doesn't matter anymore--some of us feel like they will have to pry the CPAP out of our cold, dead hands!

(Color added by me)

I really liked reading this, Janknitz ~~~

[CPAPSteve]

@ keahinui - Similar to you I started CPAP therapy about 3 months ago and I had some reservations on using a CPAP machine but have come to embrace it and actually enjoy using it. I am almost positive that I've suffered from sleep apnea for at least 10 years or more. Always felt like junk and was so moody and irritable. I was really slim 10 years ago and up until just last year was still super fit and just a TINY bit overweight for my height. Finally diagnosed this past June and while I was suggested to lose some weight that it is certain that my sleep apnea is here to stay. Using a CPAP isn't that bad and I've taken it on my travels and even on a recent camping trip without a hitch. I sleep better, I feel better and I definitely don't regret using it. If I lost the 30 extra lbs on me I'd still be using it so as what others have said, take a positive outlook on it - treat it like a hearing aid or eyeglasses... you can't really manage without it regardless of what your weight is.

As others have pointed out, there are rare cases where your OSA may be minimized from weight loss but that is difficult to say. I guess the only way is to lose a bunch of weight and find out for yourself if that helped your particular situation.

[Denial Dave]

Weight loss for me hasn't had any effect on my apnea

At the end of July last year, I started the "Get up off your butt and exercise" program. There's also been adjustments to my eating habits...

Exercise routine started at walking 1.5 miles a day, 5 days a week... Gradually increased the distance over time... These days, I'm mostly jogging 5 miles a day, 6 days a week...

Not too shabby for a soon to be 63 year old Stage 1 cancer survivor!

Since that time, I've lost 55lbs & have plateaued at this level for the past 4 months!! I tend to vary between a loss of 55 to 60lbs on a weekly basis. Contrary to the statistics, I've kept the weight off.

The only real impact that the weight loss has had on my apnea is that my Bi-Pap pressures are slightly lower.. But it has had a major impact on my overall health... Blood pressure is awesome, Blood sugar is superb... etc....

During each visit with the sleep doctor, we discussed the weight loss & slowly adjusted my Bi-pap pressure downward. The lowest we ever tried was 15 / 12. That level worked for about 2 weeks and then suddenly my AHI jumped from the normal nightly of under 1 to a range of 6-9.

For the past 4 months, I've been at 17 / 14 and my AHI has been steadily under 1. In the next week or so, I'm going to give slightly lower setting soon to see if 16 / 13 works for me.

FWIW - APAP was a disaster for me... Bi-pap has been great for nearly 6 years...

Dave

[chunkyfrog]

Cpap, bipap, etc. totally WORKS for apnea. And is non-invasive, safe, simple, and easy.
When they come up with something that works as well with FAT, bring it on, already!
We have been waiting long enough already.

[ChicagoGranny]

Please read the excerpt I have cut out from the Ochsner Journal below:

When citing studies or articles, the URL should be provided.

[michiganjim]

I've been using a CPAP since 1998. In 2005, over a 12 month period, I lost 100 lbs and was able to put the machine away. I did regain the weight after 4-5 yrs, but here I am again in 2018 and have lost 65 lbs over 9 months. I'm still using the CPAP but have been turning down the pressure as my weight has gone down. Hopefully in another few months, I'll hit my 100 loss goal and discontinue use of the machine.

Of note back in 98, I lost weight with Atkins which brought some other complications. My present loss is attributed to Ketogenic diet In addition to the weight loss, I feel great and have lots of energy. Atkins is low carb, high protein. Keto is low carb, moderate protein and high fat. The satisfaction factor eating fat, makes the diet so much more sustainable. I expect to stay on Keto till the fat lady sings at my funeral.

[BosGuy]

I had been using CPAP for over 2 years. My wife and family said that my snoring was extremely loud! I recently lost weight using a calorie counting app that I started in July. I started at 220 pounds. I am now at 189. As soon as I went below 200 pounds i stopped snoring. It was amazing! I am sleeping better and I do not use the machine. It is fabulous to not have to mask up at night. For me dropping the weight has truly helped! By using a calorie counting app the weight loss hasn’t been awful to do. I can not follow fad diets and limit the foods i like to eat but by being aware and watching my daily calories I have been able to make a massive change in my life! I want to hit 175 pounds and then maintain below 180. Hopefully weight loss will help others! It worked for me in the past few months.

[jnk...]

When "scientific" information says an "association" between two things "suggests" something about what causes what, it's a fancy way of saying it's a guess. And even if one condition is a factor in causing a situation, that does not prove that the situation magically goes away once that contributing condition is removed.

Put another way: If a car accident leaves you with a limp, avoiding cars won't fix your limp. Similarly, when habitus changes the way the nervous system works, fixing habitus may not fix the nerves. There is more to breathing and sleep than body mass.