Anyone get off of CPAP by losing weight?

[digitaleagle]

I know my Sleep Apnea has been going on for a while. Over the last 25 years I have gradually gained weight. I am now about 55lbs over my ideal. I should have had this machine about 10 years ago.

I am just curious to find out how many people have gotten off the machine by weight loss. If so how much did it take?

My Dr. told me that weight loss won't necessarily get you off the machine. My goal is to get off the machine by losing the weight.

Easier said than done.

[Emilia]

It can happen, but it is very rare. Weight exacerbates the condition, but the condition was there first..... it is mouth/throat architecture that causes OSA, but gaining weight can make it worse. As you get older, the muscles of the throat also become more lax so even if you could come off the machine, chances are you would need to go back on it eventually. My sleep doctor told me he has never seen a patient successfully come off the machine due to weight loss.

[dreamylioness]

I wish i could answer this question for you ! But I cant i know that i weigh 142 lbs not really over weight maybe by 6-10 lbs and i was just diagnosed with sleep apnea . I know that is probbly what you did not want to hear. but i would love for it to be true . sorry
DreamyLioness

[dtsm]

One of my doctors told me he used cpap for his sleep apnea therapy, which then permitted him to exercise and lose 50 lbs, which led to his ultimate goal of getting off the hose. He was successful.

[Emilia]

@dtsm -- that is wonderful news, but I would suggest the only way he'll know for sure if it is working for him is to have periodic sleep studies done... and, of course, how he feels.

[digitaleagle]

It can happen, but it is very rare. Weight exacerbates the condition, but the condition was there first..... it is mouth/throat architecture that causes OSA, but gaining weight can make it worse. As you get older, the muscles of the throat also become more lax so even if you could come off the machine, chances are you would need to go back on it eventually. My sleep doctor told me he has never seen a patient successfully come off the machine due to weight loss.

Interesting - I have a co worker who was grossly overweight. He also had bad sleep apnea. He then lost 80lbs, still had apnea - but it wasn't as bad. He went in and had surgery to remove tissue in the back of his throat, (was miserable for over two weeks) His Apnea then seemed to be gone. He gave away his CPAP machine to someone without insurance. He has kept the weight off - but now has apnea again and had to get another CPAP machine.

I wonder how much of this has to do with losing muscle strength in our throat tissues as we get older. I think weight gain triggers a lot of things, like type II diabetes, (I have that also - but it is very well controlled with Metformin and exercise) My GP told me that I would have gotten diabetes anyway - it was just a matter of time due to my genetics. I now read that apnea causes higher glucose readings in the evening due to stressing the heart.

I'm sure there are thousands of people who have moderate - severe apnea that don't even know they have the problem. I should have been on this machine at least 10-15 years ago. It wasn't until my GP insisted that I go for a sleep study that I finally did. Even with just two days of this I can tell my energy level is increasing. In the titration study they did the tech told me I had 4X more REM sleep than in the first sleep study.

I'm going to lose the weight anyway as it is good for my overall health. I guess I will see if my apnea gets better with time and some weight loss.

Thanks for the thoughts.

[linagee]

"One of my doctors told me he used cpap for his sleep apnea therapy"

How weird. My doctor uses a CPAP too. On a tangent subject, how many people have doctors that have sleep apnea?

[sleeplessinaz]

Hi all--I have lost weight over the last year - maybe about 30 pounds. I am feeling tired again in the mornings, I fall asleep quickly but I don't stay asleep anymore like I used to. I have a "Titration" sleep study this coming Friday to see if my pressure needs changed. My PCP said that maybe I need an APAP or a BIPAP to have adjustable presssure now that I have lost some weight, my diabetes is under control with Metformin and Victoza injections, and I do Yoga now to relax. He never mentioned ever getting off the machine ---he just thinks over time the pressure might need adjusted.

I just want to have that "refreshed" feeling that I used to have--LOL! I switch between the Swift LT for her and the FX masks. I love the FX better but it leaks like a sieve sometimes for me as I am side sleeper. they told me for the sleep study not to bring my mask with me that they will provide them--I am packing mine anyways just in case!!! They also said I can take some Ambian to help me fall asleep the night of the study. I have a script for it but I don't take it on a regular basis --only as needed. I have no trouble falling asleep---just staying asleep!! So I am not sure if I am going to take some Ambian that night or not. Guess I will take it with me--but they kick you out at like 6 am --LOL! SO I wonder if I will be all groggy>?

[Joe50]

I have now lost over 130 pounds and have been off the hose for about 3 months. I think I am one of the exceptions becasuse I gained all my weght over a very short period of time and lost it pretty quickly. I am 99 percent sure that the weight was the total cause of my problem but I know for some the weight is not the problem. My advice is to lose the weight and see what happens.

[Muse-Inc]

My sleep doc and cardiologist both think when I finally lose all the excess wt (gotta lot more to lose including the 25#s I gained when I started working again) that my apnea will disappear. I know that my required pressure was less when I lost the inital 45#s & even less by the time I'd lost 60#s with a significantly smaller throat and lower face. This makes me hopeful but I'm also older with likely floppier muscles, so it's a tossup as to whether the apnea will disappear. Because I had a dramatic wt gain and increase in symptoms (that my doc back then didn't recognize) within a single yr, that's likely when the apnea developed and became severe.

[lktnky]

I've lost around 35 lbs. so far. I re-titrated 2 mos. ago and my (new) neurologist cut my bi-level pressure from 14/10 to 9/5.
He told me if I could get to the optimum weight for my height that there's a better than average chance I'll be off the machine.
He said I have classic OSA, measured my neck and told me how proud he was that I'd taken these steps to be more healthy and encouraged me to keep at it. I feel so much better and know the difference is a result of my exercising.
DH & I talked about my first titration 10 yrs ago that indicated I had mild apnea (less than 5 events per hr) but not enough to warrant a machine.
What might be the consequences of discontinuing therapy at this point, I wonder? I weigh less now than I did then.

[Emilia]

If one were to lose enough weight to be released from using the machine, I would hope one would continue to monitor overnight oxygen levels via a good data capable oximeter. And if the reports show desats, I'd be back on the machine soon! Owning an auto adjusting machine s/software might be helpful to keep around just in case a home titration is needed....

[Geminidream]

I wish just losing excess weight was enough, but for most of us I doubt its that easy. I am about 20 lbs overweight...most if it gained after I quit smoking (almost ten years ago)....and I believe I have had sleep apnea for longer than that. It just got worse after I gained that weight and aged another 10 years. My goal is to get rid of those 20 lbs, but something tells me I will still need CPAP. Only time will tell. In some instances I can see how it would work. I'm just not going to count on it. So glad to be a non smoker, however

[chunkyfrog]

I don't expect to get rid of apnea--but I sure hope to get rid of some of the excess 'me'.

[snuginarug]

It varies so much from person to person, no one can say if they or anyone else will get off the machine by losing weight. However, what's the worst thing that can happen if you try? You will have lost excess weight, and who is going to complain about that? It's a win-win situation, there are no drawbacks. I'd also like to point out, people who no longer need a machine due to weight loss probably aren't hanging around here anymore. so there may be success stories we're missing out on.

All that being said, there is one danger... getting too psyched up anticipating getting off the machine, and then finding out you are one of the ones for whom it is not a fix.

I wish you really good luck in your endeavors!