CPAP Weight Gain?

Prior to starting CPAP, I read that many people lose weight with CPAP therapy. Tonight, saw a physician I really respect who said the dirty little secret is that many CPAP patients GAIN weight - lots of weight - after starting therapy!

What is the truth? Anyone have a story to tell?

You really respect him? Won't ask why here now, but I really wonder what he's talking about.

There IS a myth that only older overweight men get OSA, but that's been disproven for a long time and it's now thought that OSA is responsible for weight gain, if anything, and many younger, slim women have OSA too - based on jaw anatomy and other things.

So - if you gained lots of weight, I'd look at other reasons, like Covid hibernation, etc. etc.

It's true...both of the statements. IMHO
While a lot of people do report losing weight once on cpap therapy...for whatever reason...some people have reported gaining weight...for whatever reason.

The thing is...people gain and lose weight all the time and they aren't even using a cpap. The reason isn't cpap (obviously if they aren't using cpap)....it's those other reasons that cause us to gain and/or lose weight. CPAP by itself isn't always a silver bullet to lose weight nor the cause for gaining weight either.

Correlation doesn't always equal causation.

Julie, I just started CPAP therapy barely 28 days ago, so nothing to report.

Pugsy, correlation never equals causation. That's axiomatic. But I wonder what people here have experienced? Better for me to know and try to avoid any weight gain, if possible. Hence my search for personal stories.

Yes, I agree: YMMV is the best way to think of things. I see two ways to argue the situation.:

(1) The body seeks homeostasis. OSA throws the body off balance. CPAP helps the body heal and create stability. A stable body is more energy efficient, and so metabolism goes down and there is a potential for weight gain.

(2) CPAP improves sleep and gives a person the energy to be up and about. A treated person is more active than a non-treated OSA sufferer, and so expends more energy. This leads to weight loss.

Am very curious how this all plays out.

BuckarooBanzai wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 26, 2022 12:03 pm

Yes, I agree: YMMV is the best way to think of things. I see two ways to argue the situation.:

(1) The body seeks homeostasis. OSA throws the body off balance. CPAP helps the body heal and create stability. A stable body is more energy efficient, and so metabolism goes down and there is a potential for weight gain.

(2) CPAP improves sleep and gives a person the energy to be up and about. A treated person is more active than a non-treated OSA sufferer, and so expends more energy. This leads to weight loss.

Am very curious how this all plays out.

Simple.
Everybody is different.
Cpap gives us strength; what we DO with that strength makes all the difference.

Now you have me thinking. Maybe the diet and exercise (which I started at the same time as CPAP) actually makes my OSA better and CPAP made me lose all the weight . . .

I kind of like the way you think.
Creative.

If a lot of people report both weight loss and weight gain while on CPAP treatment, then the most logical explanation is that that people with sleep apnea appear to have difficulty maintaining an ideal/healthy weight. I say appear because, even with data, it would still be an association rather than proof of causation either way. Based on personal experience, I can attest that sleep deprivation definitely encourages unhealthy eating habits, maybe in an attempt to console oneself! But I'm also aware of a young man who was diagnosed with sleep apnea in his mid-twenties and who lost a huge amount of weight in the subsequent three years, without consciously dieting. He just lost his taste for junk food and particularly for sugar.

Better sleep=more energy.
Then it is up to you to use that energy however you choose.
Walking or sitting; cooking healthy or ordering fast "food".
Simply losing weight is a big factor--positive feedback builds hope.
I get a little rush when my weight and blood pressure show improvement.

I lost a whole lot (65 lbs) and kept it off for more than a year. Then the pandemic happened, hubby laid off, had to go back to work was working 50 + hours a week in a job I despised. Gained almost all of it back. Hubby decided to retire, I joined the great resignation and quit and found a part time job I like and now so very slowly I'm gaining a little bit more energy. Its been a hell of journey. I believe the pap gave me the energy to lose the weight, and the job from hell sucked the energy right out of me. I don't think I would have survived the last few years without the pap.

If a lot of people report both weight loss and weight gain while on CPAP treatment, then the most logical explanation is that that people with sleep apnea appear to have difficulty maintaining an ideal/healthy weight.

Yes, I agree. I do find it puzzling that some lose a lot while others gain a lot. But I certainly agree with your explanation.

I get a little rush when my weight and blood pressure show improvement.

Yes, I do, too.

Baby: Yes, I relate a bit. I put on twenty pounds during the pandemic and am now having a heck of a time taking it off. I had hoped (well, I still hope) the CPAP treatment will help me lose it.

BuckarooBanzai wrote: ↑

Sat Jan 29, 2022 7:18 pm

If a lot of people report both weight loss and weight gain while on CPAP treatment, then the most logical explanation is that that people with sleep apnea appear to have difficulty maintaining an ideal/healthy weight.

Yes, I agree. I do find it puzzling that some lose a lot while others gain a lot. But I certainly agree with your explanation.

I get a little rush when my weight and blood pressure show improvement.

Yes, I do, too.

Baby: Yes, I relate a bit. I put on twenty pounds during the pandemic and am now having a heck of a time taking it off. I had hoped (well, I still hope) the CPAP treatment will help me lose it.

I believe if you take the extra energy you get from sleeping well and put it to good use ( take a walk, do an exercise class etc the weight will melt off ). I gained it back by being so tired all the time after spending 10 hours a day staring at a computer screen I didn't have the energy to walk or swim or do any of the things I enjoyed.

Baby Dino:

I believe if you take the extra energy you get from sleeping well and put it to good use ( take a walk, do an exercise class etc the weight will melt off ). I gained it back by being so tired all the time after spending 10 hours a day staring at a computer screen I didn't have the energy to walk or swim or do any of the things I enjoyed.

Sure hope you are right.

I totally relate to your exhaustion from sitting at a computer screen all day. My school has us so tied down with work that there is barely enough time to sleep. Who has time and energy to work out? It is crazy-making.

BuckarooBanzai wrote: ↑

Sat Jan 29, 2022 8:00 pm

Baby Dino:

I believe if you take the extra energy you get from sleeping well and put it to good use ( take a walk, do an exercise class etc the weight will melt off ). I gained it back by being so tired all the time after spending 10 hours a day staring at a computer screen I didn't have the energy to walk or swim or do any of the things I enjoyed.

Sure hope you are right.

I totally relate to your exhaustion from sitting at a computer screen all day. My school has us so tied down with work that there is barely enough time to sleep. Who has time and energy to work out? It is crazy-making.

Exactly. Up until the pandemic I took aquafit classes 3 sometimes 4 days a week, I walked, I was active. Now I'm not, I am starting slowly trying to get more active again. Did a lot of walking last weekend. Need to build up to it. It about killed me.