How much is weight related to apnea?

[Meridianzzzzz]

Are there a lot of thin people with apnea or is weight almost always a factor? I'm not trying to offend anyone. But honestly, my first response to my horrible sleep study results were, this is because I've gained weight!!! So I'm wondering if losing weight typically improves the apnea, does it depend upon the type of apnea or is it a possible positive effect, but not necessarily one that will eliminate the need for CPAP?

Thanks!

[kaiasgram]

You're thinking in the right direction. Yes thin people have apnea too. And while losing weight is good for any number of health reasons it may or may not reduce or eliminate the need for cpap. Some people have lowered their pressure needs with weight loss but a few have actually increased pressure needs -- go figure!

[Ruinednose]

weight is related to apnea 100 percent in my opinion.
IF your way overweight, it will make your apnea worse, if you loose weight it will help the apnea,
however you can have apnea without being overweight

loosing weight helps with very many other things as well.

[Goofproof]

While being fit and at your correct weight, will make your Sleep Apnea and General Health more likely to be better, it's only one factor in both, dozens of factors, set you up for Sleep Apnea, and other ailments too.

Why isn't as important, as identification and treatment, fix those, and waste time on why later! Jim

[Wulfman...]

Are there a lot of thin people with apnea or is weight almost always a factor? I'm not trying to offend anyone. But honestly, my first response to my horrible sleep study results were, this is because I've gained weight!!! So I'm wondering if losing weight typically improves the apnea, does it depend upon the type of apnea or is it a possible positive effect, but not necessarily one that will eliminate the need for CPAP?

Thanks!

There are no "hard and fast" rules.
For many, it was more likely the Obstructive Sleep Apnea that caused the weight gain.
For some, as you noted, many thin people have sleep apnea.
Age can also is a factor.
And, for some, the weight gain was a contributing factor.
There is more than one type of sleep apnea......obstructive, central and mixed.


As "kaiasgram" noted, losing weight can be good, but not necessarily a factor regarding the pressure needed to keep the airway open. Sometimes a person can use less pressure with weight loss and sometimes they need more.


Den

.

[Meridianzzzzz]

Thanks everyone, I really appreciate your responses! Because of the meds I take, some of which cause weight gain while others just make it hard to lose, I have gained about 20lbs over the last year and a half. Having other health conditions with fatigue as a primary symptom doesn't help. Then pile sleep deprivation on top of that and it feels insurmountable since I am operating on almost no sleep. The doc said I am getting less than 1% of restorative sleep. I can't believe I function at all. But I am hoping to shed some weight, and I do hope it will help the apnea, but I understand it may not remove the need for a CPAP. My father has terrible undiagnosed snoring and apnea, and I fear for him too. But he won't do a sleep study etc. Maybe if I work on him a bit I can get him to agree. He's already had a triple bypass!

Thanks again!

[kteague]

If one did not have OSA before gaining weight, losing the weight may resolve the problem. I was symptomatic before I gained so I don't have any expectation of losing weight resolving my sleep apnea. A 50 pound loss didn't even lower my pressure. And it runs in my family. Still would like to lose the excess weight for the sake of my health and well being.

[borgready]

What type of meds are you taking and what are you taking them for? If the meds your taking are not critically important and they are messing up your sleep, going without restorative sleep will surely bring on other ailments.

[Julie]

Would your father do a home sleep test? His doctor could arrange it and you could set him up.

[Surly]

After losing a considerable amount of weight about 8 or 9 years ago, I stopped using APAP and was having the best sleep I'd had in many years. I was eating healthy, doing plenty of exercise and had my weight down to a point where my BMI was just below 25. Unfortunately I eventually drifted back into bad habits and managed to pile back on all the weight. Whether a similar weight loss would have the same affect on my OSA now I don't know. What I do know is that a healthier lifestyle had many other benefits besides just freeing me from APAP.

[purple]

I was thin and had apnea. Now I am grotesquely obese. I am more likely to lose weight while on Sleep Apnea treatment than not. Being overweight complicates all my health problems, including being able to sleep well or comfortably, deeply, and so on.

Be great to be able to sleep when I was 21 when I could sleep 8 hours straight and never wake up. But I would have been better off to have sleep apnea treatment going back to when I was in high school. Or maybe earlier.

[BlackSpinner]

weight is related to apnea 100 percent in my opinion.
IF your way overweight, it will make your apnea worse, if you loose weight it will help the apnea,
however you can have apnea without being overweight

loosing weight helps with very many other things as well.

About 50% of people weigh more due to OSA- for them it is a symptom of OSA and NOT the cause.

Losing weight can help OSA OR cause you to need more pressure.

[Rustsmith]

I am a competitive runner (up to marathons), have a BMI of 19-20 and have mild sleep apnea. I have always been thin, so my "low" weight is genetic and not due to my running.

So, yes there is a category of sleep apnea patients who are thin.

[kcellwood]

Posted this in another thread.

I am 6'-2" tall and weigh about 210. By no means overweight. Have run 5 marathons in recent past and have been diagnosed with severe apnea. Took me awhile to convince my doctor that I needed a sleep test even with my RN bed partner (wife) observing me at night. In great heath except I do have hypertension. So while loosing weight may help it is not the only reason someone has OSA. Hoping the CPAP will lower the BP.

[Meridianzzzzz]

@Borgready -I take some anti-depressants and medications for neuropathic pain, and sometimes prednisone. All of which are pretty necessary right now. I take other meds but don't think they are contributing to the extra weight. And I only take the prednisone as needed, I'm not on it constantly or I would probably be hugely overweight. That drug is a blessing and a curse, for sure! I have actually gone off some meds that I know were contributing to weight gain that I felt I could safely eliminate. For now I have to work with these that remain. I'm a pretty darn healthy eater so eating a lot of bad food and such is not really my issue. Being sedentary from health limitations is for sure! And I ask the original question, not for reasons of vanity, but because of my blood pressure going from baseline hypotensive (my entire life) to suddenly being high, and at times spiking into the very high category. I have two disease that would love to attack my heart and kidneys so that blood pressure needs to come down!

@Julie- I had not thought of the home sleep study option for him. I might be able to convince him. Thanks for the suggestion!

And thanks to everyone here for your input, it makes me feel better to know that this isn't necessarily something I brought upon myself. That was another reason why I had the reaction about my weight, I felt guilty. And then I assumed the weight was the reason for the BP changes, etc and just trying to figure out the whole puzzle. Also, with my observance of my dad, I can see how there can be a genetic predisposition. I'll know more when I see the doc again and get all the particulars on my exact situation. Once I have that info I can figure this out a little more, with a lot of help from all of you.