Sleep apnea question

RNmomto3
RNmomto3 Posts: 15 Member
edited November 2021 in Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
Sorry I didn't know where to put this! I was diagnosed with sleep apnea in August. Although I've always needed to lose weight, my biggest motivator right now is the possibility of getting rid of this stupid CPAP machine! Just curious to see people's stories on if losing weight solved their sleep apnea or not?

Replies

  • BARBnKS
    BARBnKS Posts: 84 Member
    I am also a cpap user also & have always wondered the same thing. Let's lose & find out ok!:flowerforyou:
  • RNmomto3
    RNmomto3 Posts: 15 Member
    I am also a cpap user also & have always wondered the same thing. Let's lose & find out ok!:flowerforyou:

    Sounds good to me!! I will be so happy the day I can get rid of that thing for good!
  • danyvaone
    danyvaone Posts: 53
    i think medication is better ...how old ?
  • RNmomto3
    RNmomto3 Posts: 15 Member
    i think medication is better ...how old ?

    I've never heard of medication for sleep apnea! I am 29.
  • FatFreeFrolicking
    FatFreeFrolicking Posts: 4,252 Member
    i think medication is better ...how old ?

    For sleep apnea? Doctors RARELY prescribe medication for sleep apnea.
  • Warchortle
    Warchortle Posts: 2,197 Member
    I think the breathing machines are safer than medications. Your breathing will get better if you're exercising.. I suppose less pressure on the actual lungs will help as well.
  • FatFreeFrolicking
    FatFreeFrolicking Posts: 4,252 Member
    Sorry I didn't know where to put this! I was diagnosed with sleep apnea in August. Although I've always needed to lose weight, my biggest motivator right now is the possibility of getting rid of this stupid CPAP machine! Just curious to see people's stories on if losing weight solved their sleep apnea or not?

    My uncle had sleep apnea and stopped breathing all together in his sleep. He had to be resuscitated and have surgery. He has lost over 50 lbs and no longer has sleep apnea. He doesn't use his CPAP anymore either.
  • RNmomto3
    RNmomto3 Posts: 15 Member
    Sorry I didn't know where to put this! I was diagnosed with sleep apnea in August. Although I've always needed to lose weight, my biggest motivator right now is the possibility of getting rid of this stupid CPAP machine! Just curious to see people's stories on if losing weight solved their sleep apnea or not?

    My uncle had sleep apnea and stopped breathing all together in his sleep. He had to be resuscitated and have surgery. He has lost over 50 lbs and no longer has sleep apnea. He doesn't use his CPAP anymore either.

    Wow, scary! I'm glad he is ok! Thanks for sharing :)
  • RNmomto3
    RNmomto3 Posts: 15 Member
    I think the breathing machines are safer than medications. Your breathing will get better if you're exercising.. I suppose less pressure on the actual lungs will help as well.

    The lungs aren't the issue with sleep apnea. It's your upper airway being blocked off while you are sleeping. Some peoples anatomy just makes that happen and sometimes it's due to excess weight.
  • MyOwnSunshine
    MyOwnSunshine Posts: 1,312 Member
    There are no medications for sleep apnea.

    I was diagnosed with sleep apnea before losing weight. I have lost 100 pounds and still require the same CPAP pressure setting. Obesity is not the only cause of sleep apnea. In fact, sleep apnea can be a cause of obesity due to the inhibition of leptin and the increase in cortisol from sleep deprivation.
  • 4realrose8
    4realrose8 Posts: 117 Member
    It depends. My sleep physician has told me that some people are just prone to sleep apnea due to anatomy, regardless of weight loss. He's had patients who have undergone gastric bypass, dropped over 100+ pounds and still need the CPAP.

    You don't have to be significantly overweight to have sleep apnea.

    When I get to my goal, I plan to have a repeat sleep study to see if I still need the CPAP. It's a pain, but I'm getting used to it. I'd rather feel rested than go without the mask and struggle to stay awake the next day.
  • RNmomto3
    RNmomto3 Posts: 15 Member
    I definitely know you don't have to be overweight to have sleep apnea :) But it can be a cause and that's why I'm wondering how often losing weight helps to 'cure' it, and real peoples experiences. My nurse at the sleep clinic told me the worst case of sleep apnea she had seen was in a woman weighing 120 pounds!
  • Jade0529
    Jade0529 Posts: 213 Member
    sleep apnea can be genetic. Children can have it, my husband had it as a child. It runs in my husbands family (he and all his siblings use a CPAP) My Brother in Law lost maybe 30lbs or so and still needs it.
  • Sunflwer3
    Sunflwer3 Posts: 68 Member
    I was diagnosed with Sleep Apnea at the age of 22 and weighing 402 pounds. I have since lost over two hundred pounds and haven't used my CPAP in seven years. To be honest, when I got married and moved in with my husband I came across the machine in a box and threw it straight into the trash. I know that sounds bad, but it felt so good!
  • RNmomto3
    RNmomto3 Posts: 15 Member
    I was diagnosed with Sleep Apnea at the age of 22 and weighing 402 pounds. I have since lost over two hundred pounds and haven't used my CPAP in seven years. To be honest, when I got married and moved in with my husband I came across the machine in a box and threw it straight into the trash. I know that sounds bad, but it felt so good!

    Congrats on the weight loss!
  • EchoDelta1013
    EchoDelta1013 Posts: 93 Member
    Sorry I didn't know where to put this! I was diagnosed with sleep apnea in August. Although I've always needed to lose weight, my biggest motivator right now is the possibility of getting rid of this stupid CPAP machine! Just curious to see people's stories on if losing weight solved their sleep apnea or not?

    Yes losing weight cured mine. It'll be a year this month since I've used my APAP machine.
  • RonnieLodge
    RonnieLodge Posts: 665 Member
    As someone who has worked directly in that field (diagnosing people with sleep apnea) - I can tell you that if you don't have any immediate family who also have sleep apnea and are over weight, getting off excess weight will help immensely.
  • Candi_land
    Candi_land Posts: 1,311 Member
    If your sleep apnea is weight related, then yes losing weight will either reduce or eliminate your need for the CPAP machine altogether.

    I was diagnosed with sleep apnea at my heaviest over two years ago, and now am completely cured.

    Good luck! :smile:
  • SanteMulberry
    SanteMulberry Posts: 3,202 Member
    I was diagnosed with sleep apnea about five years ago. Presumably that contributed to my high blood pressure but I must say that cutting out sugar and following a lower carb plan (I usually average between 80 to 130 grams of carbs) seemed to make my blood pressure fall. In any case, after the first 40 pounds, I "graduated" from using CPAP to just using a mouth appliance (the direction things are going for mild to moderate sleep apnea). And then since the last 20 or so, I haven't needed even that. :smile:
  • oboeing
    oboeing Posts: 1,816 Member
    i have had my CPAP machine for 6 days now. i don't have your typical symptoms of sleep apnea; i don't snore, and i don't stop breathing at all. my O2 saturation just drops in my sleep for some reason. I haven't slept in 6 days, I don't know how to fall asleep when i can't yawn (i just have the little nose cup, so when i open my mouth, air just rushes out), this thing sucks.

    i asked the doctor how to get rid of needing the machine, and his response (as he walked out the door, with an air of 'you should know this already') was "Lose 40 Pounds".

    so, there it is. time to lose 40 pounds if i ever want to be able to sleep agian...
  • TheGreatYaYa
    TheGreatYaYa Posts: 215 Member
    I had sleep apnea and used a CPAP (hated it!) until I lost 80 lbs. To be honest, I haven't been retested, but I no longer wake myself up trying to catch my breath. I threw the machine away!!

    I understand now that there is an alternative to the CPAP...it's some kind of dental device that slips into your mouth (I think kinda like a retainer or something). They say it's much easier to deal with. Might be worth checking into.

    Good luck!
  • Ataraxia81
    Ataraxia81 Posts: 63 Member
    I was diagnosed with OSA just this past fall. My doctor told me that being obese doesn't help the situation however, most of the time the apnea is caused by the stretching of the muscles in your throat creating a thinner windpipe. Perhaps losing weight may not completely solve the apnea, but it may help alleviate it.
  • tmauck4472
    tmauck4472 Posts: 1,785 Member
    I no longer use my machine :) haven't used in for months now. Life is grand
  • DavidC1857
    DavidC1857 Posts: 149 Member
    I was diagnosed with Sleep Apnea in 1990, weighing in at probably less than 200 pounds (don't remember, that was a few years ago). My initial treatment pressure was 13 cm/H20. As I gained weight (I went over 300 pounds), my treatment pressure increased until I was at Bi-PAP 20/13. I lost weight back down to 200 and was just re-tested and put at a new pressure at 9.

    Not everyone will see their sleep apnea lessen or go away with weight loss, but I think many will. Since I had it just out of high school at such a light weight, I doubt I will ever be free of it. But 9 is a lot more comfortable treatment pressure than 20/13.
  • bamadwl
    bamadwl Posts: 111 Member
    I started using a CPAP machine for my OSA when I was at 450 lbs. I very recently had another sleep study done and they were able to decrease the air pressure setting, but weight loss doesn't "cure" the obstructive issue, just helps improve it. Once you get used to wearing the mask, you'll rest so much better. I'm convinced that getting better rest has assisted me in being able to lose almost 200 lbs.
  • SanteMulberry
    SanteMulberry Posts: 3,202 Member
    I started using a CPAP machine for my OSA when I was at 450 lbs. I very recently had another sleep study done and they were able to decrease the air pressure setting, but weight loss doesn't "cure" the obstructive issue, just helps improve it. Once you get used to wearing the mask, you'll rest so much better. I'm convinced that getting better rest has assisted me in being able to lose almost 200 lbs.

    One of the main problems with OSA is that the throat tissues become flaccid during deep sleep and a weight reduction alone isn't necessarily going to improve that situation much (or even at all). Some experiments suggest that singing or any exercise that firms and tones throat muscles will help with OSA. Amusingly, learning to play the didgeridoo, which is an Australian wind instrument, has been shown to eliminate or greatly improve OSA. Also, eliminating dairy or other potential allergans has also been shown to improve or eliminate OSA in non-obese individuals.
  • jfauci
    jfauci Posts: 531 Member
    My husband has sleep apnea and uses a cpap. Every time he loses weight, the cpap goes away. When the weight goes back on, so does the cpap.
  • BigVeggieDream
    BigVeggieDream Posts: 1,101 Member
    I've been using a C-PAP for 6 years. I just started losing weight and am also curious how it will affect my sleep apnea. I have to say, I can't sleep without my C-Pap. I'm so used to it, I feel naked without it.
  • angellmoore
    angellmoore Posts: 72 Member
    I am a Respiratory Therapist and see patients with sleep apnea all the time. To my knowledge there is no known medication to take to prevent or treat sleep apnea. There are two (main) kinds of sleep apnea, obstructive and central. Central sleep apnea is caused from the way the brain functions and can't be fixed by simply losing weight. Obstructive sleep apnea or OSA is what is usually caused from being overweight. Believe it or not 10 pounds makes a difference. My husband had sleep apnea too. He had to wear a cpap, but hated it. Once he lost weight he no longer needed to wear it. It is important to stress though that you should never just quit wearing your cpap without first speaking to your doctor. There are many health risks that go along with sleep apnea.
  • Stripeness
    Stripeness Posts: 511 Member
    As other commenters have noted, so much depends on the underlying cause of your apnea. Also, your doc can easily provide you with references to studies that have the numbers you're asking about.

    However, you can also simply look at peer-reviewed studies on your own:

    Here is a recent one - submitted 2014:
    http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/02/140211083812.htm

    This is a nice easy read from late 2013 - based on guidelines from American College of Physicians, which issued new on treatment of sleep apnea. They were published online in Annals of Internal Medicine.
    http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/09/23/225429783/lose-weight-before-trying-cpap-sleep-apnea-treatments

    And here's those actual guidelines from the Ann of Int Med:
    http://annals.org/article.aspx?articleid=1740756

    Bottom line: losing weight - even modest amounts is LIKELY to be helpful. But no guarantees. Ever. You knew that, though.

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