CPAP's effect on weight???

I started on CPAP on 4/12/06. Today, just under 3 months later, I am 19lbs lighter and have lost 2" around my middle.

I do not give CPAP the credit for this directly, however. CPAP gave me the energy to finally exercise like I have been wanting to, and that made me feel good enough to give me the will power I needed to stay on a "reduced portions" kind of diet. I don't think CPAP has CAUSED the weight loss, but it has definitely ENABLED it.

As a result of this weight loss (nearly 10% of my body weight), I have reduced my CPAP pressure and my wife reports when I have slept without CPAP, my snoring is either non-existent or much, much quieter. I am hoping that with further weight loss and continued exercise and overall health improvement that I might someday make myself much less dependent on CPAP for a good night's sleep.

here's links to news account referring to a study in International Journal of Obesity with lack of sleep on top of the list:
http://health.dailynewscentral.com/content/view/2319/63

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060702/hl ... 0702033323

It looks like you need to be a subscribere to get a copy of the full article from the Int'l Journal of Obesity, but here's the abstract (not too helpful):

http://www.nature.com/ijo/journal/vaop/ ... 3326a.html

I started CPAP aproximately 1 month ago.

After 2 weeks with excellent compliance I had GAINED 8 pounds. I started walking on the treadmill for 1/2 hour and now after 1 month I have GAINED 11 pounds.

My diet hasn't changed. I have type 2 diabetes and watch it pretty close.

My calorie intake is under 2000 calories per day.

I'm beginning to worry that I have some kind of fast growing tumor or something.

That was me posting the news story link above. (forgot to log on).

--- Snoozy Q

birdshell wrote:I think the chemical to which she referred may be leptin.

Thanks Birdshell thats the one I was tring to think of.

A recent study from Turkey now indicates that people suffering from sleep apnea have a higher level of leptin than is considered normal. This may cause an inability to control appetite and weight. Sleep apnea is a disorder very common in obese people although the connection is still not fully understood.

http://sleepdisorders.about.com/cs/slee ... leptin.htm

You are so welcome.

Leptin was found to be a chemical released AFTER gastric surgery for obesity a few years ago. Since it was in the general news, it was an educated guess! .

Well, Offerocker is truly the exception again! And my docs can't figure it out. I can be considered 'underweight', or at least out of proportion for my 5'6" frame, and around 137 lbs, which is heavy for me. Very low blood pressure. Go figure. I was worried, when, a couple weeks ago my weight SOARED to a ripping 142 lbs. But then it went back down. So, there are obviously OTHER REASONS out there for one having sleep apnea.
I was thinking that Dopamine was the missing/lowered chemical that allows sleep apnea - or am I thinking of PLMD, which I also have.

Here are a couple of articles about the connection between sleep deprivation and chemical changes that can exacerbate obesity:

http://sleepdisorders.about.com/od/obes ... weight.htm

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/20 ... 082903.htm

http://www.rtmagazine.com/article.php?s=RT/2005/06&p=4

http://jap.physiology.org/cgi/content/a ... /99/5/1998

To summarize, apnea affects several hormones (cortisol & leptin) that affect body weight and appetite, and also can affect glucose metabolism, which is why there is an increased risk of diabetes associated with apnea.

My personal experience has been an increased appetite, several weeks into CPAP treatment. However, I also have enough physical energy to exercise, so I haven't seen a weight gain. I figure the increased appetite & energy is actually a good sign that the treatment is working -- it means my metabolism is getting fired up, probably as the result of better oxygenation at night.

For the past 10 years or so, I have been unable to lose weight no matter WHAT I did, which I hope to find out is the result of the hormonal voodoo caused by the apnea. With continued treatment I hope to be able to lose weight with diet and exercise like a 'normal' person, once the hormonal obstacles caused by the apnea are removed.

I think the apnea/weight connection is kind of a chicken and egg thing -- I've even seen some articles suggesting that apnea causes obesity and not the other way around. It's probably a lot more complex than a strict linear relationship -- some of us are predisposed to apnea, and maybe we gain five pounds, enough to worsen it just enough to start the cascade of hormonal effects, which leads to more weight gain, which leads to worse apnea, which leads to more hormonal changes, which leads to more weight gain, which leads to worse apnea, etc. etc.

I imagine the reason some people report a slower recovery than others is that the spiral *out* of that whole 'apnea syndrome' takes time -- hormone levels don't correct overnight, and it also takes time to adjust to the new metabolic level and change old habits and eating patterns. I know that I still want to eat when I'm tired, when what I really need is sleep.

And, just for a final kicker, it appears that overweight people who exercise regularly live longer than thin people who *don't* exercise, so being thin doesn't necessarily mean being healthier:

http://www.obesityscam.com/myth4.1.htm

So -- it's not the fat that kills you, it's the fatigue that makes you too tired to move all day.

Min

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CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): CPAP

minerva wrote:And, just for a final kicker, it appears that overweight people who exercise regularly live longer than thin people who *don't* exercise, so being thin doesn't necessarily mean being healthier:...

Thanks you, Minerva for those resources. I believe you're right; the disadvantage to being overweight is the wear and tear on the body and organs. And as for me, just because I'm the exception in not being overweight doesn't mean that I'm excluded from needing to exercise also! Thanks for the reminder of all the benefits of exercising - for everyone. Kathleen

One definite benefit to CPAP is increased oxygen levels to your muscles and body. Similiar in that way to aerobic exercise which is ALOT more beneficial than anaerobic exercise. One can lift a weight but if one breathes while doing so they get more benefit. Alot more!

Interestingly enough my weight has always fluctuated but the last 7 year trend has gone up significantly and coincidentally that is when the sleep apnea started from non-existent to mild and now severe. But here is what I've noticed. I've always had broad shoulders but all the exercising I've done in recent months has been aerobic eliptical with very very very little dumbbell work. And yet my arms now look more musclular and my shoulders and back do too. It's as if they're "re-inflating" for lack of a better word. Like others above I'm feeling years and years younger and exercise is starting to increase. Enabled might be a good word. But since it was OSA that was hindering me in the first place, it's more like I'd have to still be fighting this somehow not to get the good benefits.

Will just treating OSA with xPAP help you lose weight? Maybe not, but it sure does lead one thing to another. Since xPAP I've lost 5 lbs, which is amazing to me because the first thing that happens when you exercise is an exchange of fat for muscle. 1 lb of muscle takes up about half the space of 1 lbs of fat and it weights twice as much. So, what usually happens when I excise is I lose inches but not lbs at first. Then eventually I lose lbs too. 5 lbs in a month is RIGHT on target. About a 1 or 2 a week is good for long term weight loss.

Oh yes, and let me add, much to our dismay, I asked my Aunt and other people her age (early 60's) how many people were over weight in her graduating class. She came from a typically large campus and she said there weren't any. The closest was a medium kid but he really wasn't overweight. That was class of 1960. Now, 46 years later 2/3rds of all Americans are overweight or obese. That's 67%. But only 12 to 18 million Americans have OSA. (out of 280 million or so) I wouldn't be surprised that closely related illnesses to OSA have a similiar viscious cycle as OSA but one thing is for sure, the last 50 years our exercise habits have gotten worse to non-existant and we now have anything we want (mostly bad stuff included) on every corner. It costs MORE for better food and that's ridiculous. Before anyone knew this food was better it was actually cheaper for chicken over beef, etc. I'm surprised they haven't upped the price of veggies up above that of meats. LOL!

But many of you are right. If all you do is feel better and you don't do anything with it, then you don't lose weight. It's not an automatic thing as it's been said for before. It's like the old saying "You gotta use it or you'll lose it." And on a side note Mrs Rastaman has commented that things have improved in the bedroom by many times over. Must be all that oxygen.

Thanks to everyone for all of this wonderful information. When I started this discussion, I in no way wanted to imply that I wanted to loose weight by sitting on by backside and expecting the inches to float away while I breathed through a machine. What I was wondering is exactly what all of you have said, that the increased daytime energy from the treatment should, in fact, allow for more activity during the day.
I have a job where I get up very early in the morning, commute 45 minutes, work 11 - 14 hours, and then commute back. By the time I get home, I fall into the chair and get woke up to eat my one meal a day just before I retire to bed and do it all over again. This allows for very little family time and exercise. Not to mention the eating a large meal and slinking off to bed right after. I have been fighting this for years before I knew I had OSA.
My treatment should start soon and I am looking forward to getting my life back. I would just like to keep up with everyone else someday.
Thanks to everone for all of the opinions and information. You have all made me very excited about the start of my CPAP therapy and I feel that will make the adjustment that much easier. My hat goes off to a wonderful community here at CPAPTALK.COM.

ajraih1, if I may make one suggestion
When I stopped eating a big meal late at night and replaced it with a filling breakfast (usually porridge and fruit juice) plus a light lunch, then those periods have been my most successful at both losing weight and keeping it off. Usually, the gradual return of the weight coincides with slipping back into the late night meal routine. It's not the only factor and I know it's not easy, especially with your busy lifestyle, but in my experience the old adage 'breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dine like a pauper' holds good as part of a weight loss programme.
Good luck.

Your question was "Will CPAP make me/help me lose weight?"
The machine itself will not,but once you get used to therapy and start having more energy from having better sleep you will be more willing and able to move around/exercise without getting tired.

CPAP gave me my life back.
I got my machine Mar 24th 2006.I have been doing great.
Mar 31st I was in the hospital and my Doctor told me I am borderline diabetic and must excercise and lose weight,or else.

April 2006 I bought knee,elbow,and wrist pads and started roller skating again after almost 21 years of not doing it because of a knee injury.I wear stretchy knee braces under my pants and knee pads to stabilize my knee cap.
I now own my own skates,as does my boyfriend of 15 years who goes with me to skate.I also eat loosly following the glycemic index.

I speed skate 5-8 hours in a rink each week.I can now fit clothes I have not been able to wear for the past 5 years.Everyone at work says I look great,and am happy to say that roller skating is something I would have never dreamed of doing again if it were not for my CPAP.I now exercise more than I did when I was a lot younger(I am 37).My knees are both stronger and I can actually go up and down stairs now without pain.

I feel a million times better than I did with undiagnosed apnea.

For health's sake,get your doctor to do some tests on you to see if you are borderline diabetic like I am.You will not feel it when it is happening to you,and if you are overweight,you are probably at risk.This is the part of being overweight that nobody ever tells you about.Have your cholesterol checked too-this leads to clogged arteries,and other drastic problems as you get older.
Good luck to you.
Rapunzel111

[quote="ajraih1"]
I have a job where I get up very early in the morning, commute 45 minutes, work 11 - 14 hours, and then commute back. By the time I get home, I fall into the chair and get woke up to eat my one meal a day just before I retire to bed and do it all over again. This allows for very little family time and exercise. Not to mention the eating a large meal and slinking off to bed right after. I have been fighting this for years before I knew I had OSA.

I don't see a major change anytime soon. I have four kids still at home and I bring in the only houshold income. Last time I was out of work, it was for six months. I promised myself I would never do that again. I just keep chuggin' along.