Fat and Thin people with OSA

[Guest]

I'm about 5-10 pounds overweight and I have OSA. I had it even when I was at the mid range of my BMI probably. Suffered for 10 years undiagnosed.

5' 6" 160 pounds now. I was around 125-130 pounds when I first had symptoms.

Don't know if weight would make yours go away but dropping the weight would help your heart from all that strain you've been putting on it. Other parts of the body will be happier also.

[jencat824]

Weight loss can help some people, but not all of us. I have lost 53 lbs over the last 10 yrs, still losing slowly, but it hasn't made any differece to my OSA. However that said, everyone is difference & weight loss might help you. Even if it doesn't help OSA, it will help overall health & as was said by someone else treating your OSA may help you with weight loss, it did with me, so I wish you luck with your journey.
Jen

[The Sheikh]

I've found an interesting effect from CPAP treatment...

My AHI was 39 in the sleep study. My apnea events were really bad - some lasted 95 seconds. But now, my AHI is <1 each night and my health is normal again.

However, I have gained 15 pounds in the process. But it's not body fat in the stomach as usual. I am gaining muscle mass in my legs and chest. I exercise the same amount as always, but perhaps now that I am getting good O2 during rest, the muscles are coming back. I am 5' 10" and 190 pounds. I am usually about 175 pounds. I can hike up hills without fatigue now and I feel no more chest pain. Amazing. The circles under my eyes are about gone.

I'm not complaining - - just never thought it would happen this way, (muscle mass) but maybe it's just another sign that the body is getting healthier due to effective apnea treatment.

This apnea stuff sure can starve off a healthy body when untreated!

Tom

[JohnBFisher]

... do you think this might cure my OSA - has anyone else here on this forum cured their OSA with a BIG WEIGHT LOSS ? ...

Peter, there is lots of information out there that shows that it *may* help with OSA. It's not a certainty. In my own case, I developed OSA as a teen. That was before they knew what it was, but based on how my sister complained that I snored just like our grandfather, who almost certainly had OSA ... I'm pretty sure I had it. And I was UNDER my ideal weight at the time.

Regardless of whether it will help with OSA, loosing the weight is VERY important for your health. So, do go for it. And who knows. It might just help lessen your OSA. You might even be one of the lucky folks that no longer need CPAP if you loose the weight.

So, go for it. You will win even if it does not "cure" your OSA. It will certainly help you feel more energetic and be much healthier.

[Elle]

Losing 115 lbs didn't make a difference for me. I lost most of that after starting on cpap so being treated may have helped with losing. I did start to gain after about 3 years of success but then noticed when I got a new (auto) machine last December my pressure needs were significantly higher. Set pressure machine had been on 8 and auto showed a need of around 15 so maybe not having the proper pressure was the cause of the weight gain?

I am back to losing weight now with the correct pressures and am no longer on blood pressure meds. My cholesterol and triglycerides are normal now as well as blood sugar.

I just think that good cpap treatment benefits all around.

[JohnBFisher]

... I am back to losing weight now with the correct pressures and am no longer on blood pressure meds. My cholesterol and triglycerides are normal now as well as blood sugar. ...

Don't know about you, but that sure seems to be WONDERFUL news. Even if you still need CPAP, having those factors in line will help preserve your health more than many other things you can do. Hooray for you!

[Elle]

Thanks JBF, It is wonderful and truthfully I expect to use cpap the rest of my life and am fine with that. I actually start to yawn when I reach for my mask. I actually love my cpap.

Both of my brothers in law are thin and fit and have been using cpap for years (they love it too) so they are my only reference as far as being overweight and OSA.

It looks to me like the original poster here is going to be successful too. I can sense the determination and that is a good sign.

[archangle]

The really bad thing about this idea is that it encourages people who need CPAP to say "I'll just lose weight instead of doing CPAP." Only a small percentage of people who try actually lose the weight. Not all of those who lose weight cure their apnea. Some get some improvement, but still need CPAP. Then only some of them keep it off.

Don't try to lose weight as a substitute for CPAP. Apnea is killing you slowly while you're trying to lose weight.

However, if you need to lose weight, by all means, do so while doing your CPAP. It may even be easier while doing CPAP, because apnea is known to contribute to weight gain. If it cures you or helps some, that's great. If not, you're probably healthier at the end.

[lorraineg57]

i'm thin and i was just diagnosed with OSA. my doctor was pretty surprised, saying he didn't expect a woman my age and weight to have OSA. i understand weight is a large factor but there are others as well.

I'm female, not overweight (5'5" and between 123-125 lb.)

Great goal though. Even if it doesn't cure your OSA, you'll likely feel better in other aspects.

[SleepingUgly]

Of people who have weight loss surgery only 40 -50% get over their OSA.

ONLY???!!

If ONLY I were one of those that had a crack at a 40-50% cure rate!!!!!!! I had no idea it was so high.

[SleepingUgly]

The really bad thing about this idea is that it encourages people who need CPAP to say "I'll just lose weight instead of doing CPAP."

The really great thing about this idea is that people can use CPAP while losing weight, and if they are "cured", great. If they aren't cured, and are just improved, good. And if they are neither cured nor improved, I don't think anyone is going to say, "I regret losing this weight." I have NEVER ever in my life met someone who went from overweight to thin and regretted it.

You can't unring every bell.

[Kiralynx]

G'day ChicagoGranny - if I cure my OSA by losing 112 pounds of bodyfat you'll be the first to hear about it - cheers Peter

Don't bet on it, Peter.

In 2001-2002, I lost 180 pounds, and that was when my OSA first manifested.

[archangle]

The really bad thing about this idea is that it encourages people who need CPAP to say "I'll just lose weight instead of doing CPAP."

The really great thing about this idea is that people can use CPAP while losing weight, and if they are "cured", great. If they aren't cured, and are just improved, good. And if they are neither cured nor improved, I don't think anyone is going to say, "I regret losing this weight." I have NEVER ever in my life met someone who went from overweight to thin and regretted it.

You can't unring every bell.

I heartily encourage anyone with apnea to lose weight if they need to after they start CPAP.

The idea that people only get apnea because they're lazy and fat causes a lot of people to be misdiagnosed and encourages a lot of people to not get CPAP because they say they'll just lose weight. I'm sure a lot of deaths result from those who don't lose the weight or even those who do lose the weight and still have apnea.

We need to kill the idea that apnea = fat.

[SleepingUgly]

When someone says, "I'm thinking of trying to lose weight to get rid of my high cholesterol," people don't respond, "Don't bother. I lost weight and I still have high cholesterol."

Losing weight may cure or at least improve OSA. There is no empirical evidence to suggest this statement is false, regardless of any anecdotal information anyone brings forth. So if there is a chance they can be cured, and that motivates people to engage in a behavior that will improve their health in a myriad of ways, why not encourage people to GO FOR IT?? CPAP can be used while trying to lose weight.

If I had so much as a 1% chance of losing this crappy diagnosis by losing weight, I would do it! And if all this weight loss later, I had my low BP, my good blood sugar, my low cholesterol, my longer lease on life, and still had this crappy diagnosis, I'd be disappointed. But I would put on my size 4 Sexy Boot jeans, crank up the music and dance, while singing at the top of my healthy lungs, "I'm too sexy for my CPAP!" Then I'd do my little turn on the catwalk, hook up my CPAP, and put my non-fatty livered hot bod to bed.

No one who loses weight regrets it. No one.

[lorraineg57]

When someone says, "I'm thinking of trying to lose weight to get rid of my high cholesterol," people don't respond, "Don't bother. I lost weight and I still have high cholesterol."

Losing weight may cure or at least improve OSA. There is no empirical evidence to suggest this statement is false, regardless of any anecdotal information anyone brings forth. So if there is a chance they can be cured, and that motivates people to engage in a behavior that will improve their health in a myriad of ways, why not encourage people to GO FOR IT?? CPAP can be used while trying to lose weight.

If I had so much as a 1% chance of losing this crappy diagnosis by losing weight, I would do it! And if all this weight loss later, I had my low BP, my good blood sugar, my low cholesterol, my longer lease on life, and still had this crappy diagnosis, I'd be disappointed. But I would put on my size 4 Sexy Boot jeans, crank up the music and dance, while singing at the top of my healthy lungs, "I'm too sexy for my CPAP!" Then I'd do my little turn on the catwalk, hook up my CPAP, and put my non-fatty livered hot bod to bed.

No one who loses weight regrets it. No one.

Well said!