Losing weight=no cpap??

[Geminidream]

Hello,
Its been a long time since I was on this website....working full time and attending college full time. I have lost a little over 30 lbs since the beginning of the year and for most of the summer I stopped using my cpap mask with very few mornings where I felt like I did not sleep well. My other half says I only seem to have an issue after I have had a few drinks (or the allergies are acting up) so on those nights I wear the mask. While I am sure that being 30 lbs did not cause my OSA, I am betting that the weight loss has helped eliminate the need for the mask on most evenings. Has anyone else had this kind of result and did it last? My sleep apnea was diagnosed almost two years ago and it was categorized as mild apnea, but it was REM sleep that was disrupted and made it feel like moderate apnea. Looking for feedback on either side of the argument. Thanks in advance.

[purple]

I had normal weight at one time while others told me I snored badly. Losing weight will solve not my sleep apnea. If you want to test it for yourself. Get a recording oximeter and see what your O2 Sats are in a nap.

[jamiswolf]

Geminidream...
I would say congratulations. Also position can play a role. After the weight loss, are you still sleeping in the same position?

But others and maybe even me might say...have your success confirmed by a sleep study.
Jamis

[Geminidream]

Purple,

I will definitely do that to see where I am at, thanks for the suggestion!

And Jamiswolf,

That is another step in the process. I may have another sleep study....but will have to see how my new insurance plan handles that first, but I do want to be cautious of this no cpap idea as well. Thanks!

[jules]

I was diagnosed about 120 lbs ago more or less (that was not at my max weight so my loss is more than 120 lbs).

Do I still need CPAP?

YEP - I have the pulse ox data to prove it - I have laid on the couch with it on falling half asleep while the TV is on - I get wild fluctuations in my O2 levels - get a solid line of events at times - during the remainder of the night while on CPAP I don't get that many O2 drops. I rarely drop below 90 while on CPAP - did all the time during this half asleep episode.

[archangle]

Doctors really like to play God. "You need to lose weight or exercise more, or take these pills, or get more checkups and expensive testes, or do whatever or bad things will happen. Then when something bad happens, they say "See I told you so."

I believe weight can cause apnea, so weight loss may cure it. Unfortunately, a lot of people don't cure their apnea when they lose weight. I don't know if "the damage was done when you were fat," or if you'd have had apena even without the weight. Some thin people do get apnea.

It is worth using the hope of apnea improvement to help you lose weight. It's good to see if you don't need CPAP after losing weight. Just don't get your hopes up too high, or simply stop CPAP because you lost weight.

[Goofproof]

While congrats on losing weight, without a sleep study to confirm, all you get is 30 lb healthier and drowning in De-Nile, many people's favorite swimming hole. Jim

[Lizistired]

I think it's great! If it were me, I would go by how I feel. That's what got me to a sleep study in the first place. Your other half may also notice symptoms over time too. Just keep that machine on your nightstand! I don't think a sleep study is a bad idea, but I think once you are aware of OSA and how it affects you, and if you are in tune with how you feel you can manage it yourself. Keep us posted.

[kteague]

Congrats on the weight loss! Short of another sleep study, you might want to ask your doc to order a trial period (mine was 2 weeks) on an auto titrating machine. It may not be the all-definitive solution, but if set to start pretty low and it regularly increases the pressure, that's a pretty good indicator of a need for cpap. If your pressure doesn't jump up and if you also confirm your oxygen levels without cpap are stable, then maybe you can feel more comfortable about sleeping without cpap. Just knowing how badly I was affected pre cpap, I'd want any decisions about treatment to be evidence based. Otherwise, I'd be concerned that a long slow decline like back then could happen again, and maybe be too far gone before I recognized what was going on. It is a bonus for you to have someone who can add observational info to the other data for a even fuller picture. Good luck, and let us know how this pans out. I'm hoping you'll be one whose weight really was the cause of their sleep apnea, and loss of weight was your answer.

[SleepyT]

Hey Geminidream...good to see you again! And congrats on your weight loss. I'm hopeful, too, that you can forego the cpap. I agree with the others about testing your theories with an oximeter or a sleep study. You might also ask your sleep doc about your airway. In other words, some people inherited a narrow airway...maybe the back of their tongue is thick and is causing the obstruction...maybe their soft palate is descending in their old age. Do you have a narrow jaw...lack of chin? If all the answers are no....you have a normal airway and a nice square jaw....then maybe the weight loss will indeed be enough to "cure" your OSA.

I wish you the best! Get the hard evidence you need...and let us know the outcome!

T.

[2flamingos]

Congrats on your weight loss!

I found your post after searching "weight loss" because I am in a similar situation - since the end of June I have lost 20 or so lbs. While that may not be significant for a 6'-1" man, it equates to 2-3 inhes in my waist and 1 to 1-1/2 inches in my neck (from an 18-1/2" to a "loose" 17" collar)

I have noticed my AHI has gone down and stayed consistently around 2.0-2.1; leak rate has been consistently within range; and most nights my average pressure is down. While I don;t think I can quite give up on the PAP yet, I do feel a lot better overall.

[chunkyfrog]

If a cure were that easy, our insurance would pay for it.
It would be cheaper than all this expensive equipment.

[nobody]

My doctor said weight loss does work for some people. For me it would not. I wasn't even overweight when I was Dx with severe sleep apnea and my neck measures just 13", not even sure why that is important but they measured it at the sleep clinic. Best is to get a sleep study to confirm it you no longer have apnea.