Obstructive sleep apnea
ghrmj
Posts: 86 Member
I have just today been diagnosed with "severe" obstructive sleep apnea. The doctor said that during my sleep study I stopped breathing 66 times, for up to 22 to 28 seconds. I thought that meant 66 times during the night, but he said it was severe and my research indicates that means more than 30 times per HOUR, so I guess maybe it was 66 times per hour? I'll have to confirm with him next consult, but in the mean time he did say it was severe and it puts me at risk for a heart attack.
He also said it was so bad that weight loss probably wouldn't cure it, but I am overweight and need to lose I think 45 lbs to be in the healthy range (5' 10" 220 lbs now.) So of course I want to try and lose weight and see if that helps. I am worried about the effect on my health, the doctor seemed quite concerned.
Does anyone have any success stories of curing sleep apnea with weight loss? I'd like to hear how much you lost, and how much it helped. If/when I can lose the weight I guess I will go for another sleep study and see if it has helped.
This is a good motivator to lose the excess weight.
He also said it was so bad that weight loss probably wouldn't cure it, but I am overweight and need to lose I think 45 lbs to be in the healthy range (5' 10" 220 lbs now.) So of course I want to try and lose weight and see if that helps. I am worried about the effect on my health, the doctor seemed quite concerned.
Does anyone have any success stories of curing sleep apnea with weight loss? I'd like to hear how much you lost, and how much it helped. If/when I can lose the weight I guess I will go for another sleep study and see if it has helped.
This is a good motivator to lose the excess weight.
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Replies
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Are you planning to use a CPAP or similar in the mean time, I hope?
You don't want to hear from me: Weight loss did not cure my sleep apnea. There are other people who've written here on MFP for whom it was curative, though. It may lessen yours, even if it doesn't fully resolve it.0 -
Are you planning to use a CPAP or similar in the mean time, I hope?
You don't want to hear from me: Weight loss did not cure my sleep apnea. There are other people who've written here on MFP for whom it was curative, though. It may lessen yours, even if it doesn't fully resolve it.
Yes he gave me the option of CPAP or a surgery referral, but I don't want surgery so I am going to try the machine. I just spoke to him today so I have to wait to hear back about an appointment for the machine - I guess you have to go in and get fitted for it and learn how to use it. Not sure how that works, I hope they call me soon.0 -
Are you planning to use a CPAP or similar in the mean time, I hope?
You don't want to hear from me: Weight loss did not cure my sleep apnea. There are other people who've written here on MFP for whom it was curative, though. It may lessen yours, even if it doesn't fully resolve it.
Yes he gave me the option of CPAP or a surgery referral, but I don't want surgery so I am going to try the machine. I just spoke to him today so I have to wait to hear back about an appointment for the machine - I guess you have to go in and get fitted for it and learn how to use it. Not sure how that works, I hope they call me soon.
Don't worry, it's easy. It seems a little weird at first, but one risk is sort of talking yourself into being freaked out by it because it's unusual. If you can, keep an open mind, and give yourself some time to get used to it. There are different types, and different headgear types that you may wear, and different ones work better for different people - that's probably part of what they'll go over in the fitting. There may be lots of settings, but most of them you don't have to change once they get set right for you.
They may not tell you this in the fitting, but there are also special pillows you can get if you find out that the headgear or tubing are awkward for your sleeping position with a standard pillow. Don't be afraid to talk through any issues you encounter later with the equipment supplier. (They have consultants here that I could talk with any time if I were having issues. I haven't much had to use them.)
People think it's going to be super noisy, but it's not. I grant that the headgear looks a little odd. It can take a few days for the better sleep to sink in, but it should overall be an improvement after that short adjustment period, and it also reduces the risks for your heart, which is obviously worthwhile.2 -
Hard to say what will work for you, but using a C-PAP made for a huge improvement in my sleep apnea and quality of sleep right from the start even though I remained morbidly obese for years. Went through the first sleep study in my late 40's and was told to use a C-PAP, which I did for a couple of years every night. By my mid 50's I was only using the C-PAP when I felt like the sleep apnea was coming back. Early 60's and another study said I had mild sleep apnea even though I was heavier than ever and rarely used the C-PAP. Now, in my mid-60's, 85 lbs lighter (but still obese), I don't believe I have even a hint of sleep apnea and haven't used the C-PAP for a couple of years. Cured? I doubt it. More likely, using the C-PAP help train me to stop holding my breath at night. Much lower stress levels from work, home and kids probably helped too.
Wearing a contraption over your face at night does take some getting use to but it was worth it for me. The noise never bothered me, nor did it bother my bride of 45 years (who sleeps in the middle of the bed). Dropping the extra pounds we carry doesn't hurt either and has so many other benefits it makes the effort worth it. Good luck.2 -
My husband was convinced i had sleep apnea when i was overweight and still drank alcohol. He would freak out because he would hear me stop breathing and then gasp back - he said I didn’t snore but he would either wake me up constantly or lie awake freaked out that I was going to die. With all the other things that were going on in our lives I never made an appointment to get a sleep study done to check it out, but I did stop drinking and lose a lot of weight, and I no longer have the issue. Given that you have an actual diagnosis of severe sleep apnea and risk of a heart attack, I would follow doctors orders AND use it as extra motivation to lose weight. Cutting out alcohol, especially before bedtime really helps too, (also helps reduce heart problems and with weight loss) so it was good that I had medical reasons that forced me to quit initially because I never would have done so voluntarily. I complained about it and cheated initially even when I knew I shouldn’t drink, but ultimately now that I don’t drink the sober life has so many things to recommend it - high on the list is good sleep.5
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My husband has obstructive sleep apnea, he’s 6 feet tall and around 165. So for him, it’s purely anatomy. He’s used a cpap for 15 years and it’s made a huge difference in his quality of life.3
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Are you planning to use a CPAP or similar in the mean time, I hope?
You don't want to hear from me: Weight loss did not cure my sleep apnea. There are other people who've written here on MFP for whom it was curative, though. It may lessen yours, even if it doesn't fully resolve it.
Yes he gave me the option of CPAP or a surgery referral, but I don't want surgery so I am going to try the machine. I just spoke to him today so I have to wait to hear back about an appointment for the machine - I guess you have to go in and get fitted for it and learn how to use it. Not sure how that works, I hope they call me soon.
Don't worry, it's easy. It seems a little weird at first, but one risk is sort of talking yourself into being freaked out by it because it's unusual. If you can, keep an open mind, and give yourself some time to get used to it. There are different types, and different headgear types that you may wear, and different ones work better for different people - that's probably part of what they'll go over in the fitting. There may be lots of settings, but most of them you don't have to change once they get set right for you.
They may not tell you this in the fitting, but there are also special pillows you can get if you find out that the headgear or tubing are awkward for your sleeping position with a standard pillow. Don't be afraid to talk through any issues you encounter later with the equipment supplier. (They have consultants here that I could talk with any time if I were having issues. I haven't much had to use them.)
People think it's going to be super noisy, but it's not. I grant that the headgear looks a little odd. It can take a few days for the better sleep to sink in, but it should overall be an improvement after that short adjustment period, and it also reduces the risks for your heart, which is obviously worthwhile.
Thanks I will keep all this in mind. I don't think the noise will bother me, I have tinnitus and use a fan every night for background noise anyway. An acquaintance recently told me that the CPAP helped their tinnitus so maybe that will be a bonus as well.3 -
Hard to say what will work for you, but using a C-PAP made for a huge improvement in my sleep apnea and quality of sleep right from the start even though I remained morbidly obese for years. Went through the first sleep study in my late 40's and was told to use a C-PAP, which I did for a couple of years every night. By my mid 50's I was only using the C-PAP when I felt like the sleep apnea was coming back. Early 60's and another study said I had mild sleep apnea even though I was heavier than ever and rarely used the C-PAP. Now, in my mid-60's, 85 lbs lighter (but still obese), I don't believe I have even a hint of sleep apnea and haven't used the C-PAP for a couple of years. Cured? I doubt it. More likely, using the C-PAP help train me to stop holding my breath at night. Much lower stress levels from work, home and kids probably helped too.
Wearing a contraption over your face at night does take some getting use to but it was worth it for me. The noise never bothered me, nor did it bother my bride of 45 years (who sleeps in the middle of the bed). Dropping the extra pounds we carry doesn't hurt either and has so many other benefits it makes the effort worth it. Good luck.
How did you feel it was coming back? I had no idea that I had it I didn't notice anything weird with my breathing (except my husband said I snore a little bit sometimes.) The reason that I had the sleep study was for what I thought was insomnia. I fall asleep fine but wake up often throughout the night and can't get back to sleep. I thought it was maybe hormonal or something and my doctor said to do a sleep study before anything else.0 -
Sinisterbarbie1 wrote: »My husband was convinced i had sleep apnea when i was overweight and still drank alcohol. He would freak out because he would hear me stop breathing and then gasp back - he said I didn’t snore but he would either wake me up constantly or lie awake freaked out that I was going to die. With all the other things that were going on in our lives I never made an appointment to get a sleep study done to check it out, but I did stop drinking and lose a lot of weight, and I no longer have the issue. Given that you have an actual diagnosis of severe sleep apnea and risk of a heart attack, I would follow doctors orders AND use it as extra motivation to lose weight. Cutting out alcohol, especially before bedtime really helps too, (also helps reduce heart problems and with weight loss) so it was good that I had medical reasons that forced me to quit initially because I never would have done so voluntarily. I complained about it and cheated initially even when I knew I shouldn’t drink, but ultimately now that I don’t drink the sober life has so many things to recommend it - high on the list is good sleep.
Yeah I'll definitely being following his advice. The doctor told me that my blood oxygen drops by 10% (during the episodes I guess) so I guess that is what causes the heart risk. Pretty frightening.
I don't really drink much but I do notice that it impacts my sleep when I do.1 -
If you dont like thr machine you can look into an Anterior Mandibular Positioner. I know a few people that went that route0
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delillolauren wrote: »My husband has obstructive sleep apnea, he’s 6 feet tall and around 165. So for him, it’s purely anatomy. He’s used a cpap for 15 years and it’s made a huge difference in his quality of life.
That is unfortunate. If losing weight helps for me great, if not then I will have to stick with the machine as well. Hoping it makes a difference for me as well for quality of life and energy level during the day.2 -
If you dont like thr machine you can look into an Anterior Mandibular Positioner. I know a few people that went that route
I would be hesitant to try that because I have had tmj issues in the past and wearing the guard actually made my pain a lot worse (which isn't supposed to happen and stumped the dentist.) Now that my jaw pain is better I'm not sure I would want to risk anything that might mess with the alignment.1 -
I'm sure I have it and for awhile I used a mouth piece, but every morning my throat would feel like a desert and swallowing first thing in the morning hurt.
Hopefully you get it under control. On a lighter note, I saw this on Jo Koy's skit in LA:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iP1rMGlUCck
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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... By my mid 50's I was only using the C-PAP when I felt like the sleep apnea was coming back...
How did you feel it was coming back? I had no idea that I had it I didn't notice anything weird with my breathing (except my husband said I snore a little bit sometimes.) The reason that I had the sleep study was for what I thought was insomnia. I fall asleep fine but wake up often throughout the night and can't get back to sleep.
My spouse would let me know if I had been holding my breath, either by telling me in the morning, or jabbing her elbow into my ribs at night. Thinking back on it now, I remember that I liked the feeling of holding my breath for some strange reason. Don't know why. I tended to release the held breath very slowly making a making a long, high pitched wheeze sound that usually earned me a jab in the ribs.
I too fall asleep way too early in the evenings, especially this time of the year when it's getting dark earlier. I average somewhere between 5.5 and 6.5 hours of deep sleep a night, then supplement with a daytime nap. If I start thinking about what I need or want to do that day, I quickly come wide awake. Otherwise, I'll drift off to a light sleep after a trip to the bathroom. I don't think holding my breath has anything to do with being up for good at 3:AM for me.
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I'm sure I have it and for awhile I used a mouth piece, but every morning my throat would feel like a desert and swallowing first thing in the morning hurt.
Hopefully you get it under control. On a lighter note, I saw this on Jo Koy's skit in LA:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iP1rMGlUCck
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
Video "unavailable in your country". Just fyi.0 -
I'm off to a terrible start going 450 over my calorie goal on day one.
Mind you I wasn't counting or anything just put in what I ate after the fact, and it wasn't a typical day was running around so had some fast food. Tomorrow I work from home and have pre-counted for 3 meals and a snack coming in at only 2 calories over goal, so hopefully I can stick to that. 3 -
Hi. The choice is sorta made for you. Do not continue without a cpap. The not breathing at night is causing lack of oxygen to your brain. When I was first diagnosed many years ago, I was 73x. Still remember that number as it scared me and my wife. As others have said, it takes getting used too but overtime it will become ok. They have so many options now to make it comfortable. I envision going diving when I put it on (lol). Also weight loss impacting it may help but sleep apnea is more than being overweight. Some of us were born with smaller air passages than others. When you fall asleep, the muscles in the passage relax. If you already have a small passageway, it will close up, Being overweight doesn’t help because fat buildup can make the passage even smaller but losing weight does not change the fact that you were born with a smaller passageway. Talk to your doctor and get these specific details for yourself so you know more about it.2
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Hi. The choice is sorta made for you. Do not continue without a cpap. The not breathing at night is causing lack of oxygen to your brain. When I was first diagnosed many years ago, I was 73x. Still remember that number as it scared me and my wife. As others have said, it takes getting used too but overtime it will become ok. They have so many options now to make it comfortable. I envision going diving when I put it on (lol). Also weight loss impacting it may help but sleep apnea is more than being overweight. Some of us were born with smaller air passages than others. When you fall asleep, the muscles in the passage relax. If you already have a small passageway, it will close up, Being overweight doesn’t help because fat buildup can make the passage even smaller but losing weight does not change the fact that you were born with a smaller passageway. Talk to your doctor and get these specific details for yourself so you know more about it.
Thanks for your comment. Yes I am definitely going to get more specific details on my next consult, either with the doctor or the technician. This one was a phone consult with a doctor I had never even spoken to before and he was kind of abrupt; he gave me the basic information and then asked me to decide whether I wanted a CPAP or surgery referral right then and there. Now that the information has sunk in a bit I can always make an appointment with my family doctor to discuss in more detail if need be (specialists here aren't really known for taking a lot of time explaining things.)
As for weight loss, I did ask the doctor and he did say that given the severity of my issue he didn't think weight loss would "cure" it. But my thinking is that it can't hurt and I will get other benefits as well so will give it a try.
What you have said about fat buildup around the passage makes a lot of sense. When I went for my sleep study I remember they measured my neck and said that a larger neck measurement was linked to sleep apnea.
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I'm off to a terrible start going 450 over my calorie goal on day one. Mind you I wasn't counting or anything just put in what I ate after the fact, and it wasn't a typical day was running around so had some fast food. Tomorrow I work from home and have pre-counted for 3 meals and a snack coming in at only 2 calories over goal, so hopefully I can stick to that.
When I started MFP I took about five days to simply track what I ate without making any dietary changes. It was very illuminating! It also made it easier for me to make changes. These days I still have an intense desire to stop tracking on days that I “fall off the diet,” but I find that when I track everything as accurately as I can, even on days when I don’t stick within my goals, it helps tremendously on my overall journey. Sometimes when I enter everything on a “bad” day I discover that I didn’t really go as far over as I had been beating myself up for in my mind.
Anyway, just wanted to share because you’re not off to a “bad start,” you’re off to an accurate start! You’ve got this!
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Are you planning to use a CPAP or similar in the mean time, I hope?
You don't want to hear from me: Weight loss did not cure my sleep apnea. There are other people who've written here on MFP for whom it was curative, though. It may lessen yours, even if it doesn't fully resolve it.
This is me too. Both my partner and I are not impacted by weight. We were diagnosed 6 years ago (within a month of each other) and both given CPAPs. It was a game changer. There are definitely nights when something goes sideways and I take it off in my sleep, but for the most part, it's not an issue.
Someone mentioned finding a good pillow. I don't sleep on my side often, but sometimes I do, and getting a pillow that works was so helpful. I found one made by Avocado (that's the company's name).
Do a quick google of what happens if you DON'T treat apnea. It's a scary future. I thought I was just not breathing every now and then, but it was more than that. Also, it's not just about your lungs. Your heart is at a huge risk.
Sorry you got such a severe diagnosis. But losing weight will probably alleviate it somewhat, if not "cure" it. For what it's worth, the machines now are sooo quiet. I take mine everywhere, and my travel roommates never complain. In fact, they usually say that they didn't hear it. I even took it to Europe a few years ago, with a little converter.
Good luck!2 -
If your sleep apnea is moderate to severe, your doctor is right that even a large weight loss won’t cure or eliminate it, but it can help. But, you will still have to wear the CPAP machine or other alternative. Untreated sleep apnea increases the risk of all kinds of serious problems. The weigh loss will help some though, so don’t be discouraged.0
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@ghrmj : I see you're still active on MFP. How's it going with the sleep apnea and your other goals?
I hope you don't mind, but I'm going to drop one more comment about sleep apnea, and why it can be a good thing to get it treated . . . and why doing so might help with weight loss and fitness goals.
Background: Recently, I got a new model of Gamin fitness tracker, one that has a feature called "Body Battery". Garmin says "Body Battery is a feature that uses a combination of heart rate variability, stress, and activity to estimate a user's energy reserves throughout the day." I've had the new device since mid-October. Now, I don't think that result is gospel, but after watching the results for this month or so, it sort of tracks with subjective feelings.
Here's what I think is maybe interesting for purposes of this sleep apnea thread: Last night, I accidentally fell asleep (in bed) without putting on my mask. I slept, seemingly as soundly as usual, from around 2AM to a bit after 7AM (yeah, night owl), without the mask. Then - not very refreshed feeling, and sort of horrified - I woke up, put on the mask/CPAP, and went back to sleep.
See how the "body battery" white line moves upward (more rested) verrrrrryyyy sloooowlyyy around 2AM or so, then starts a steep uphill around the 7-something AM time when I was using the CPAP? You can also see a change in the bar graph of physiological stress. That's substantially more restful sleep, even though the sleep interval itself wasn't subjectively different (though I did feel more rested when I finally woke up, but I could've attributed that to more sleep hours).
How does that affect weight management and fitness? When I have more energy, I do more (possibly subtly), and burn more calories via daily activities. My exercise intensity can be higher, and still leave me with enough energy for the rest of my day. When I'm less fatigued, not only am I likely to have fewer cravings or appetite issues (because rested bodies don't need to do the energy-seeking appetite spikes), I'm also less likely to give into any appetite incidents I do have, or to manage them sensibly.
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@AnnPT77
Thank you for your comment and information! I am definitely hoping that treating my sleep apnea will have an effect on my energy levels and appetite balance as well.
The Canadian health care systems sometimes works at a snail's pace, and my referral was long time coming. There was some sort of mix up but it is straightened out now and I hope to get my machine shortly.
In the meantime I have been getting my diet sorted out and have lost 5.5 lbs - so that's a start.
I will update once my CPAP is up and running.
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Update: I have had my CPAP for a month now. It isn't a full mask, it just sits under my nose, and has been really easy to get used to, I have had no trouble with it.
Not sure I have noticed a huge difference in how I feel during the day. I think I might be sleeping better but I got it right before Christmas so the holiday's were kind of hectic, then I went away on vacation for a week, and now I have a cold so feel crappy anyway.
At any rate it sends info to the doctor somehow and I follow up with them at the end of the month to see how it is going. Even if I don't notice a huge difference in my daytime energy I still feel better knowing that my oxygen levels are staying up during the night and it is mitigating some of my health risks.2 -
Thanks for the update, @ghrmj: I'm glad to hear you haven't had much difficulty adapting. I hope you'll experience some improvement effects longer term - you're right, it's hard to tell when things are crazy for other reasons.
Watch out for a sense of dry mouth - it doesn't happen for everyone, but I tend to mouth-breathe at night to some extent. There are things you can try, if that's something you experience.
I actually like mine when I have a cold: It's kind of blocked-up at the start of the night, but eventually seems to open up my airway as the usage goes on so I can breathe more freely than without it.
Best wishes!1 -
Thanks for the update, @ghrmj: I'm glad to hear you haven't had much difficulty adapting. I hope you'll experience some improvement effects longer term - you're right, it's hard to tell when things are crazy for other reasons.
Watch out for a sense of dry mouth - it doesn't happen for everyone, but I tend to mouth-breathe at night to some extent. There are things you can try, if that's something you experience.
I actually like mine when I have a cold: It's kind of blocked-up at the start of the night, but eventually seems to open up my airway as the usage goes on so I can breathe more freely than without it.
Best wishes!
I've noticed this too - when I came down with the cold I thought it might be an issue to use it - but the airflow and humidity actually seem to help. Who knew?1 -
@AnnPT77 that graphic is really interesting. I sometimes forget to put my mask on. I tend to sleep through the night, so sometimes I might go all night without it. I don't notice a huge difference for the one night that it's off. However, this makes me think that my body does. Sometimes I feel like I just want a break from the mask and hose. My partner wears one too, and sometimes we just want to fall asleep squished together, without being flat on our backs. I'm completely re-thinking this now. (And I kind of want one of those Garmins!!)
As always, thank you for coming back time and time again to share your wealth of knowledge with this community. There are so many things I have learned from you (and I often share your wisdom with friends and family). We're so lucky that you will share your experiences 2 -
girlwithcurls2 wrote: »@AnnPT77 that graphic is really interesting. I sometimes forget to put my mask on. I tend to sleep through the night, so sometimes I might go all night without it. I don't notice a huge difference for the one night that it's off. However, this makes me think that my body does. Sometimes I feel like I just want a break from the mask and hose. My partner wears one too, and sometimes we just want to fall asleep squished together, without being flat on our backs. I'm completely re-thinking this now. (And I kind of want one of those Garmins!!)
As always, thank you for coming back time and time again to share your wealth of knowledge with this community. There are so many things I have learned from you (and I often share your wisdom with friends and family). We're so lucky that you will share your experiences
Thank you! Please keep in mind, though, that:
1. I could be misattributing the change in that graph, and
2. On the internet, no one knows whether I know what I'm talking about.
Caveat emptor, even at our low discount price of zero. Trust, but verify!
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Update : still working on the weight loss, but my CPAP treatment has been a success. My data from the 4 week trial showed that my sleep apnea score dropped from around 70 to 0.5 (per hour). Can't ask for much better than that.3
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Update : still working on the weight loss, but my CPAP treatment has been a success. My data from the 4 week trial showed that my sleep apnea score dropped from around 70 to 0.5 (per hour). Can't ask for much better than that.
That's really wonderful to hear! I hope you're feeling more rested, though I know - from experience - that it can take a surprising amount of time (because of rebound effects) for that to really gel. Thanks for coming back to update!
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