weight gain with Cpap??

[Brenpbb11150]

Hello,
I have been on Cpap for four months now and I am doing much better with my sleeping and my fatigue, but I have gained 10 lbs since I started Cpap and I have not changed my diet and I am still active. Just wondering what is going on. Does it make you gain weight? Seems silly but I have never been overweigtht so am trying to figure this out.
Thanks for any helpful sugestions you might have.
Bren

[foxhunter again]

sorry you don't seem to be prompting replies. That is unusual for this forum so don,t be discouraged.
I too have had a weight problem. After reading various posys here, I was looking forward to some weight loss to no avail.
I am currently taking diuretics also but that has little or no effect either.
Better to be overweight, rested and jolly than skinny and dead.
Hang in there!

[BlackSpinner]

One digests "better" when sleeping properly. Most people lose weight because they become more active due to not crashing on the couch most of the day.
You might have to consider a change in activity or eating habits.

[Julie]

Cpap doesn't make you put on weight, OSA may - it's being investigated.

[tattooyu]

I found that CPAP therapy has definitely helped me to lose weight. I just checked the first post on my thread (viewtopic.php?f=1&t=38502&hilit=kenny's) and I was 223 lbs. at the time. I'm now 203 lbs. (down from 250 lbs. at my heaviest) and haven't changed anything except adding CPAP therapy.

Perhaps there is a different reason for the weight gain?

[DreamStalker]

On the day I started CPAP therapy, I weighed in at 330. I now weigh 230 ... still have about 60 to go but It took over a decade for me to get to 330.

There may be a correlation between CPAP use and weight but body weight composition is much more complex than a simple linear relationship like that.

Human (or any animal for that matter) body weight composition is a function of the genetic expression of the DNA in response to the environment (what we eat, drink, breathe, how we exercise, rest, and manage stress). The genes respond to the environmental stimuli via the body's hormonal regulation, a chemical interface between the genes and the environment.

So if one is overweight (or under weight), it indicates that they have a hormonal imbalance caused by something within the environment. It indicates that they are in a less than optimal state of health. Fix the environment and they normalize the hormonal balances and they achieve an optimal state of health and consequently a normal body weight composition. CPAP therapy helps to normalize the delicate hormone balances (primarily the stress hormones but they are all interrelated) by mitigating apnea induced hypoxia. However, the other environmental factors are also important.

[brazospearl]

I think I've gained weight, too--don't own a scale so I'm not sure. I think it's because food tastes so good now that I'm not falling asleep while I'm trying to eat. Not the same as your situation, but I wanted to point out that not everybody loses weight on cpap.

[ozij]

I remember reading that some people gained weight once their OSA was treated, because without CPAP they spent the nights thrashing themselves out of obstructive events, but with CPAP their sleep became more restful. So the answer is yes some people do gain weight when cpap therapy starts.

[nosenabook]

I don't want to bum you out here, but by the time I had been on CPAP as long as you have, I had put on 30 pounds.

Haha, said the family doctor, don't you think it's your time of life?
Not really.

But after reading the discussion provided by DreamStalker, I'll keep exercising. And who knows, maybe my stressors will resolve.

[donnafowler]

I gained weight when I started CPAP, about 20 pounds. Even though I became more active. I think it was partly because I had heard so many people say that I would lose weight and I just assumed it would come off without me eating differently.

Fast forward a year, and an RA diagnosis. I started paying attention to WHAT I was eating and stopped worrying about how many calories I was eating. I started eating to get all the nutrients my body needed and wow, I have lost 36 pounds since Janurary. When I am eating the good stuff, in the correct portion sizes, I end up eating just the right amount. For me, the good stuff = whole grains, nuts, seeds, veggies, fruits, some chicken, some fish (I do not eat beef and have not for many years) very little dairy and as little added sugar as possible. This also means very little packaged/processed food and no artificial sweetners. I have also been on prednisone on and off since January, and my doctor was astounded that I was LOSING weight while taking it because most people gain weight on steriods--so I must be something right. I finally figured out that 100 calories of cookies and 100 calories of broccoli are not created equal--despite the mantra of calories in/calorie out that is so often touted. There is just more to it than that!

As an aside, many people who lose weight are able to reduce CPAP pressure, which has not happened--mine has actually gone up as I have lost weight, but I am on a ton of medications to combat the RA, so that could also play a role.

[Dog Tired]

I remember reading that some people gained weight once their OSA was treated, because without CPAP they spent the nights thrashing themselves out of obstructive events, but with CPAP their sleep became more restful. So the answer is yes some people do gain weight when cpap therapy starts.

This is exactly what happened to me - I ballooned about 20% of my bodyweight in the first 2 months of starting CPAP.

Had all the tests under the sun, as my doctor thought I might have developed a thyroid problem or some other endocrinal issue. It turns out that restful sleep was the problem, and I had to commence regular exercise (something I had never done before) to replace the night-time thrashing that was consuming my calories.

Oh, and also changed my diet to a much healthier one.

Took me six months to lose that added weight - and a lot of sweat and tears to boot...

Feeling much better for all of it