If I loose 50 pounds will I still have Sleep Apnea?

[hsbroker]

My weight has crept up and up and up. I am the heaviest of my life not at 257pounds and 5' 11" tall. My wife and I joined a great health club and I am highly motivated to loose at least 50 pounds---possibly more. I've gained this weight rather quickly---maybe 60 pounds in the past 24 months and I am sick of it. I am 74 and have always been in good shape except for now.

I have read about the relationship between excess weight and sleep apnea but wonder if I loose this weight will I be cured of sleep apnea or will my symptoms be less harmful to my body.

[chunkyfrog]

Go ahead and lose the weight; but get a sleep study anyway.
Treat your apnea first and you will have more energy, and fewer cravings.
Skinny people get apnea, too; they just have a harder time getting treatment due to
obsolete information held by uninformed medical professionals.

[Wulfman...]

My weight has crept up and up and up. I am the heaviest of my life not at 257pounds and 5' 11" tall. My wife and I joined a great health club and I am highly motivated to loose at least 50 pounds---possibly more. I've gained this weight rather quickly---maybe 60 pounds in the past 24 months and I am sick of it. I am 74 and have always been in good shape except for now.

I have read about the relationship between excess weight and sleep apnea but wonder if I loose this weight will I be cured of sleep apnea or will my symptoms be less harmful to my body.

I wish I had a dollar for every time this question has been asked.
The thing is, obstructive sleep apnea is often the CAUSE of weight gain and losing weight doesn't eliminate the sleep apnea.
It's most always beneficial to lose excess weight, but once a person gets to whatever weight they wish to be, they would then need a sleep study to determine whether there was any sleep apnea at that point.

Den

.

[Sir NoddinOff]

IMHO, probably not, but it's not impossible either. It's never a bad idea to shed extra pounds.

[DiverCTHunter]

IMHO, probably not, but it's not impossible either. It's never a bad idea to shed extra pounds.

Yeah, but try waking up in the morning to get to the gym if you have a 20+ AHI

P.S. the 2013 National Sleep Week poll finally admitted that exercising at night DOES NOT cause insomnia. Here's an AASM article.

[jnk]

. . . finally admitted that exercising at night DOES NOT cause insomnia. Here's an AASM article.

I might not put the matter quite as strongly as you did. What the article you linked to says is this (color added by me):

2. Exercise before bed may be OK

Typically it is recommended that you should avoid exercising before bed. This is based on the idea that exercise raises your core body temperature, which in theory should make it harder to fall asleep. But research results have been inconsistent. For example, a small study recently found that exercise before bedtime improved sleep in healthy young men. People with insomnia should still avoid vigorous exercise within a couple hours of bedtime. But exercise at night may not hinder good sleepers from falling asleep.

[Drowsy Dancer]

I lost 70 pounds and still had to raise my pressure a little.

My n=1.

[hsbroker]

Many thanks to all for the responses. Much appreciated. I was especially surprised to read that someone who lost 70 pounds had to raise their pressure.

This is a great site with many wonderful folks who are so giving of advice. Thanks again!

[Pugsy]

I wish I had a dollar for every time this question has been asked.

Can I have half of those dollars?..There's more than enough to share and we would both be very well off.

I've gained this weight rather quickly---maybe 60 pounds in the past 24 months and I am sick of it.

Just like everyone has said...it depends. Not what you were wanting to hear I know.

Ask yourself this though...when were you diagnosed with OSA? Was it after the weight gain or before? If it was before I think you know the answer without having to ask us.
If it was after the weight gain and a very recent diagnosis...the answer is "it depends".
You will need to lose the weight and then have another sleep study to confirm whether you continue to have a problem with OSA or not. Don't base it on how you think you feel or what someone tells you...the only way to know for sure is to lose the weight and have the sleep study.

I weighed a grand total of 112 pounds, I think somewhere around that number, when I got the diagnosis and my neck was tiny in circumference. I forget the number of inches but very small. I am not a very big woman...totally the non stereo type that people think of. Now after 4 years I have a few more pounds on me than I would like to see but I know if I got back down to 112...guess what...I would still need the machine.

[Sir NoddinOff]

Yeah, but try waking up in the morning to get to the gym if you have a 20+ AHI

A valid point, yet I've written many times on this forum about my problems with sleep wake junk (SWJ) and being a difficult sleeper. While I never quite get to the 20 AHI level, during some bad nights I do range from 12 to 15 (full disclosure: I'm not one to desat O2 very much). Anyway, after these bad nights, I still manage to perform my exercise routines like hiking, biking and yard work, even tho I may have to dial them back a bit. It gets easier the further you get into it. Caveat: I realize some people are physically impaired, wheelchair bound, restricted to limited exercise etc... I'm NOT addressing this advice to them.

One other major point, since exercise is generally not considered the prime source of weight loss, consider reducing caloric intake. That is generally recognized as the best way to lose weight, plus you can still do that if your tired or innervated (just open the refrigerator door less!)

It's not easy, I know... if it was, everybody would be thin as a supermodel.

[chunkyfrog]

Actually, do open the fridge door , but reach for the whole foods you have put in it.
Fresh veggies, raw fruit, cottage cheese, lowfat meats, lay off the chips, cut back on pasta.
and treat dessert as a treat, instead of an entitlement.

[rosacer]

I have lost 60 some pounds, I have 30 lbs or so still to lose.

My AHI went down very fast (so the pressure went down) at the beginning. Pressure changed from 12.5 to 6.5 cmH2O with the first 30 lbs or so. But then it has been stable and no more change lately.

I don't know if I will get rid of the CPAP after having lost all the excess weight. I was overweight when I was diagnosed but after that I gained a good 40 lbs which made things worst. You will for sure benefice from loosing those 50 lbs. If you will need or not the CPAP only a sleep test will tell. I agree 100% if you had sleep apnea before gaining weight you will still have sleep apnea after loosing weight. I also believe some people who are overweight finish getting rid of the CPAP but that is not in all the cases.

Go ahead with the weight loss and training it will be a big most in your general condition and health.

All the best.

[Goofproof]

Losing weight for most of us is a useful goal. The problem is we dont follow thru. As for as it curing sleep apnea not a very high success level, so plan on treating your sleep apnea seriously, if you dont only your pallbearers, will get to benefit from your weight loss. For me I figure at the prices they charge for funerals, they can supply a fork truch for me. Jim

[DavidCarolina]

The short answer is nobody knows, but theres a GOOD CHANCE it will improve your condition. Not to mention your life expectancy,
and overall quality of life.

I had my checkup after losing 25 pounds with my physician and she said "I CAN SEE YOUR AIRWAY IS GETTING LARGER AFTER THIS WEIGHT LOSS".

Apparently the fat deposits there just like around your midsection.

Ive consulted with two of the top oral surgeons for sleep and BOTH told me to lose weight, so i think its the smartest thing to do even
if it doesnt solve apnea.

Theres no way you can ever regret losing weight. Its a win win.

[CheBella]

My new sleep doc tried to persuade me that if I lose 70 pounds, I will no longer need my bipap.
(he also recommeded bariatric surgery: I am 225 lbs!)

I had to break it to him that I have had apnea since birth, and, for the 1st 30 years of my life was a heavy-duty athlete.
In my late 20s, I was 115# and had run the NYC marathon & had swum on a men's competitive swim team.

It wasn't until I slep with a bipap that I got my first night's restful sleep.
It was a revelation! So THIS is what regular people feel like in the morning!