Just when I thought I did not need my cpap anymore

[Stom]

If we can get away from the name calling by people who know better, we have to acknowledge that obesity can be a major factor in obstructive sleep apnea, primarily if extra weight is carried in the neck.

Obesity
Obesity is a well known risk factor for OSAHS. Many studies over the years have shown a clear correlation between OSAHS and excess body weight. Even modest gains in weight have led to increased severity of OSAHS. The Wisconsin Sleep Cohort has shown that patients with mild OSAHS have a 6-fold increase in risk for developing moderate or severe OSAHS if they gain only 10% of their body weight [32]. And among those who are most over- weight (BMI of 􏰀40), 70% suffer from OSAHS. Therefore, it seems that weight gain increases the chance of develop- ing OSAHS and can worsen the severity of OSAHS in those who already have it

Page 122, Sleep Apnea Current Diagnosis and Treatment, Winfried J. Randerath, et al ed., 2006.

I'm sure there's been more research since this book came out, but it seems that either or both genetics and obesity can be dispositive factors in an individual's OSA. This is an area that has been researched a lot, and no name calling is needed to discuss the ongoing research that is exploring the significance of the various factors that increase risk for obstructive sleep apnea. It's not exclusively one or the other.

[ChicagoGranny]

It's genetics, it's sickness, it's age,... You guys find any excuse you can. Make sure you double down on deep fried and soda. And tell yourself it's everything but your eating habits.
It may be, but your pregnant double chin is definitely a factor too

I bet most here are overweight... But whoa... If you point it out people get butthurt, they can't handle it.
Take it for face value! But I guess chase it with a pizza if you got to

Looks like you had a stupid attack yesterday. Hope your Monday is going better.

[ChicagoGranny]

Ruinednose

BTW, my BMI is 19.8. Has been for decades.

[chunkyfrog]

Obesity does have a willpower component;
but at some point, it becomes a different animal.
Cravings and progressive disability makes it a one-way street.
Blaming the "fatty" is so very WRONG.
First, we should blame the businesses/culture
that makes access to healthy food and exercise increasingly unavailable.

[Stom]

Obesity does have a willpower component;
but at some point, it becomes a different animal.
Cravings and progressive disability makes it a one-way street.
Blaming the "fatty" is so very WRONG.
First, we should blame the businesses/culture
that makes access to healthy food and exercise increasingly unavailable.

Absolutely. Many people want to be able to dismiss people's illnesses by trying to assign blame to them, but obesity is a complex issue that only seems simple.

[ChicagoGranny]

First, we should blame the businesses/culture
that makes access to healthy food and exercise increasingly unavailable.

This is a strange viewpoint. There are more grocery stores and gyms per capita than at any time in history. I use six grocery stores. All six have large fresh produce and meat departments.

Likewise, within a three-mile radius of my home are two cross fit gyms, a large general purpose gym with classes all day long, and a large YMCA with pool and many programs. That's four gyms with easy access by mass transit.

BTW, you may have seen the reports from the CDC that the higher the income, the more likely you are to eat at fast food places. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/22/heal ... ption.html

[Lucyhere]

First, we should blame the businesses/culture
that makes access to healthy food and exercise increasingly unavailable.

This is a strange viewpoint. There are more grocery stores and gyms per capita than at any time in history. I use six grocery stores. All six have large fresh produce and meat departments.

Likewise, within a three-mile radius of my home are two cross fit gyms, a large general purpose gym with classes all day long, and a large YMCA with pool and many programs. That's four gyms with easy access by mass transit.

+1

And if you can't afford to join a gym or the YMCA, there is always WALKING. Walking is better than any gym. Walking in the fresh air, at a brisk pace, doesn't get much better than that.

[chunkyfrog]

Except . . . ARTHRITIS! PARALYSIS! Dangerous neighborhoods.
Many things will PREVENT a person from starting out with weight-bearing exercise.
Whether or not a person is able (or safe) to continue with a routine depends on many
OUTSIDE FACTORS.
Patient blaming will solve nothing.

[ChicagoGranny]

Walking is better than any gym. Walking in the fresh air, at a brisk pace, doesn't get much better than that.

Yes. And that is about all I can do these days! But, it's good at any age.

[zoocrewphoto]

This is a strange viewpoint. There are more grocery stores and gyms per capita than at any time in history. I use six grocery stores. All six have large fresh produce and meat departments.

THere are a lot of inner city areas where they don't have normal grocery stores. More like 7-11 stores and dollar general. So, very little produce handy. Also, fast food tends to be cheap. Even in the grocery stores, it is often cheaper to buy a lot of cheap premade stuff rather than make your own good food. Fish is very expensive. I love fish. Probably the only healthy food that I actually love. I would eat it every day if it were cheap. Instead, the cheapest at regular price is $7.99 a pound. Not cheap. I check for marked down fish. If there is something marked down that I like, I get it.

For people who have to walk and/or take the bus, there may not be something within a mile or two. Or it may not be easy to haul heavy groceries on a regular basis if you aren't on the bus line.

[esel]

I wonder how many people actually need cpaps and don't know it.

2,137,456,403 at last count.

And another 50 million or so who know they need CPAP, but won't use it.

Wauuu, who counted them ? And why isn't nature doing anything ?

What could actually be a good reason for sleep apnea ? bad genes ? food quality ? air pollution ? education ?

[ChicagoGranny]

What could actually be a good reason for sleep apnea ?

There are many root causes.

... obstructive sleep apnea is a heterogeneous disease with multiple root causes.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2697390/

The number one root cause is fixed anatomical abnormalities. Evolution is ongoing. The size of the human brain is still growing. The size of the skull has not grown as fast. This leaves less room for the airway.

Diet is also a factor. The modern diet does not require as much chewing. With less chewing, the jaw does not develop fully.

Evidence of both of these factors is that most humans do not have a full 32 straight, uncrowded teeth. Human fossils of the pre-agriculture era show wide and deep jaws with 32 teeth. It is known that the agriculture era brought on smaller jaws and many oral problems such as abscesses and cavities.

[jnk...]

When someone has poor vision, it may be related to a specific known disease state, but it often is not. So a doc may screen for a few disease states that are known to cause a deterioration in vision, but then he simply prescribes what is needed so that a person can see. And as a practical measure, the person need not become overly distracted about WHY he has become near-sighted or far-sighted but should, instead, concentrate on the fact that seeing is important for safety and quality of life and make his decisions accordingly.

It is similar when someone has poor sleep from poor breathing. Occasionally it is caused by a tumor or something obvious, but often there is no known cause--only theorists with silly assumptions based on statistical associations that present no evidence whatsoever of actual causation. The doc's job, then, is to assess the problem and write an Rx. And we, likewise, need not get overly distracted by unanswerable questions about WHY we need PAP but should, instead, as a practical measure, concentrate on the fact that breathing and sleeping are vitally important for safety and quality of life and make our decisions accordingly.

And much as glasses can give someone who had poor vision something better than 20/20, those of us who use PAP treatment can end up sleeping better and breathing better than those with so-called normal sleep-breathing.

[esel]

What could actually be a good reason for sleep apnea ?

There are many root causes.

The number one root cause is fixed anatomical abnormalities. Evolution is ongoing. The size of the human brain is still growing. The size of the skull has not grown as fast. This leaves less room for the airway.

Well darn, that is why my brain is so quickly full. The teachers newer allowed me to go home even I told them my brain was full.
Any suggestion on how to use CPAP on ears, potentially increase skull size ?

Diet is also a factor. The modern diet does not require as much chewing. With less chewing, the jaw does not develop fully.

I tried for a while to bite and grabbed anything that came around, but my parents tough me not to chew on other kids. Sight...
Soon we may only eat pills or use suppository.

Evidence of both of these factors is that most humans do not have a full 32 straight, uncrowded teeth. Human fossils of the pre-agriculture era show wide and deep jaws with 32 teeth. It is known that the agriculture era brought on smaller jaws and many oral problems such as abscesses and cavities.

Would chewing gum or eating bones help ?

[esel]

When someone has poor vision, it may be related to a specific known disease state,

Oups, never saw a bear with glasses ! and Bears hibernate.