sleep Apnea

monteymole
monteymole Posts: 47
edited November 2021 in Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
Has anyone who has sleep Apnea lost alot of weight if so does the condition go away ? My doctor has said that if I lose the weight it will go ! !
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Replies

  • moustache_flavored_lube
    moustache_flavored_lube Posts: 849 Member
    I dont' have sleep apnea, but I know studies confirm that being overwheight is one of the leading causes of obstructive sleep apnea. I wouldn't say it's guaranteed to go away, but it will very likely be improved

    I sleep way better than when I was fat
  • laserturkey
    laserturkey Posts: 1,680 Member
    My husband's seems to be improving as he loses weight. Not sure if it will go away completely, but he's definitely snoring a LOT less after losing about 35 pounds with maybe another 35 to go.
  • Midnight_Sunshine
    Midnight_Sunshine Posts: 369 Member
    My boyfriend gained weight and developed sleep apnea so in his case weight was definitely the cause and weight loss would cure it.
  • crimsontech
    crimsontech Posts: 234 Member
    No one has actually answered the OP's question. I wish I knew the answer because I have sleep apnea and I'm hoping that losing weight will cure it. It would be neat to be able to sleep anywhere without having to worry about having my CPAP handy.
  • Jenni129
    Jenni129 Posts: 692 Member
    My husband is normal weight and has sleep apnea, so being overweight doesn't always have anything to do with it.
  • Midnight_Sunshine
    Midnight_Sunshine Posts: 369 Member
    No one has actually answered the OP's question. I wish I knew the answer because I have sleep apnea and I'm hoping that losing weight will cure it. It would be neat to be able to sleep anywhere without having to worry about having my CPAP handy.


    See sorry we aren't all licensed GPs

    Good grief.
  • swtiajenice
    swtiajenice Posts: 12 Member
    I think it depends on the cause of sleep apnea. With some people I think it's hereditary. I have one uncle who is skinny as a pole (literally!) who has sleep apnea and then my dad and another uncle who are a bit overweight and have sleep apnea as well. I also have sleep apnea and no matter if my weight is up or down, I still have to wear my CPAP. So if the sleep apnea is weight related it might go away, but not all sleep apnea is weight related.
  • moustache_flavored_lube
    moustache_flavored_lube Posts: 849 Member
    No one has actually answered the OP's question. I wish I knew the answer because I have sleep apnea and I'm hoping that losing weight will cure it. It would be neat to be able to sleep anywhere without having to worry about having my CPAP handy.

    Geez would it make you feel better if I lied and said I had it, and then it went away. Talk to a Doc, and listen to your Doc over strangers on the interwebz


    Google has magically lead me to a page with some answers http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/sleep-apnea/news/20110601/weight-loss-may-improve-sleep-apnea
  • Akimajuktuq
    Akimajuktuq Posts: 3,037 Member
    I used to have severe sleep apnea. I had it whether I was obese or not. Of course, at my heaviest it was more severe than when I wasn't overweight, but I always had it. Last fall, I changed my diet drastically and the sleep apnea was resolved even BEFORE I lost a significant amount of weight.

    So, for me, it was more about what I was eating than my actual weight.
  • SanteMulberry
    SanteMulberry Posts: 3,202 Member
    Has anyone who has sleep Apnea lost alot of weight if so does the condition go away ? My doctor has said that if I lose the weight it will go ! !

    Mine is a lot better---hopefully, when I lose another 30 pounds and get back to a normal weight, it will go away completely (I have lost over 50 pounds). I don't have to use a CPAP anymore. I just got a mouth appliance that pulls your jaw forward (so that your tongue doesn't fall back into your throat). CPAP was a misery for me. If your apnea isn't too bad, maybe you could be fitted with a mouth appliance. My doc says that only the people with severe apnea get CPAP now.
  • CristinaL1983
    CristinaL1983 Posts: 1,119 Member
    As has been stated, sleep apnea can either be genetic or related to weight (or other issues). Both of my parents have OSA and my father is an extremely fit person (always has been). My daughter was diagnosed with OSA when she was 4 months old (and of appropriate weight) but she seems to have grown out of it. Hers was related to tonsils/adenoids that were too large.

    Whether it will go away or not depends on why it exists. If it is genetic, it probably will not. If it is weight related, it probably will.
  • Ericsawicki
    Ericsawicki Posts: 75 Member
    I have sleep apnea and I use a CPAP machine. It really helps, but it is a genetic condition that is exasperated by being overweight. losing weight WILL help, but it will not stop your sleep apnea. I suggest you do a sleep study and find out exactly what you need.
  • SanteMulberry
    SanteMulberry Posts: 3,202 Member
    I used to have severe sleep apnea. I had it whether I was obese or not. Of course, at my heaviest it was more severe than when I wasn't overweight, but I always had it. Last fall, I changed my diet drastically and the sleep apnea was resolved even BEFORE I lost a significant amount of weight.

    So, for me, it was more about what I was eating than my actual weight.

    What did you do with your diet? I would love to make a dietary change and get rid of the mouth appliance too. I didn't have apnea before I had surgery on my neck that caused the muscles on the left side of my neck to weaken. So mine might not go away with anything I do. I heard learning to play the diggeri-doo (that Australian musical instrument) can strengthen your throat muscles to the point where it gets rid of sleep apnea. Thinking of taking that up. :wink:
  • Slamdunkpro
    Slamdunkpro Posts: 88 Member
    and the answer is...... maybe. As others have said it depends on the root cause of your apena. I developed it when I gained a lot of weight and since losing a bunch my pressure has dropped considerably, so in my case it's possible it will go away once I reach my goal, but everyone is different.
  • knightreader
    knightreader Posts: 813 Member
    i used to use a cpap machine. notice i said "used to."
  • twentyco
    twentyco Posts: 70 Member
    I was diagnosed with a fairly mild form of sleep apnea a couple of years ago. I used a CPAP machine to control it, and if I didn't use the machine I would wake up several times at night and/or wake up with a headache in the morning. I also snored enough to bother my husband. Since November, I've lost about 40 pounds, and I stopped using the machine a month or so ago. I don't wake up at night, and for the most part I don't snore any more. So for me, yes, it seems to have taken it away. I haven't been re-tested, though, so I can't say "officially" that that's the case.
  • cindygretz
    cindygretz Posts: 94
    Having lost 70 lbs over the last 2 years since I was diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea I can tell you it gets better. I'm off my cpap, but my son tells me I still snore sometimes, though I don't stop breathing anymore. Currently at 175lbs, 5'6"
  • llkilgore
    llkilgore Posts: 1,169 Member
    Has anyone who has sleep Apnea lost alot of weight if so does the condition go away ? My doctor has said that if I lose the weight it will go ! !

    It went away for me, along with the gastric reflux problems and the swollen feet and ankles that had been bothering me. I suspect the chronic heartburn had little or nothing to do with the weight gain, which it predated, and went away because I quit eating potatoes. I cut out all of the "white carbs" for a couple of months and was never able to add potatoes back to my diet because they made me feel like crap every time I tried. My doctor seemed to think the reflux and apnea were related, so maybe dealing with a previously unrecognized food sensitivity helped with that too.
  • issyfit
    issyfit Posts: 1,077 Member
    Hubby started sleeping sitting up about 10 years ago due to hip pain when laying flat. His sleep apnea and snoring completely went away even though he was still obese.
  • RobynMWilson
    RobynMWilson Posts: 1,540 Member
    I've heard the same thing. I know my brother is obese and has sleep apnea and he's the only one in my immediate family who has it and is obese...

    Lose the weight and see what happens!
  • yensidtoon
    yensidtoon Posts: 82 Member
    I can't use a CPAP anymore for health reasons (it caused TMJ so severe I had a 6 month migraine). I had severe sleep apnea and was waking up every 3 minutes, essentially getting no sleep without help. Now that I have lost weight (I lost 20 pounds before I joined MFP) I only wake up about 20 times a night. That is not nearly as bad so I don't even treat it anymore. My only other choice is to have surgery, and I don't want that.
  • BrienJD
    BrienJD Posts: 541 Member
    I've got it, but I don't think I 've lost enough weight for it to leave yet only 40 +. I still have to use a CPAP.
  • SanteMulberry
    SanteMulberry Posts: 3,202 Member
    I can't use a CPAP anymore for health reasons (it caused TMJ so severe I had a 6 month migraine). I had severe sleep apnea and was waking up every 3 minutes, essentially getting no sleep without help. Now that I have lost weight (I lost 20 pounds before I joined MFP) I only wake up about 20 times a night. That is not nearly as bad so I don't even treat it anymore. My only other choice is to have surgery, and I don't want that.

    My doc told me that the surgery is not even very successful in a lot of cases. He feels that the mouth appliances are probably the best thing if your apnea isn't too bad. I wear one, but I would love to be free of even that.
  • mrsmarit
    mrsmarit Posts: 229 Member
    Has anyone who has sleep Apnea lost alot of weight if so does the condition go away ? My doctor has said that if I lose the weight it will go ! !


    That is also what I was told by my doctor as well. However the thing with sleep apnea was that I was so tired ALL the time I had no energy to work out and I was too exhausted to make the effort to eat better.


    I tried the CPAP and it just did not work for me, I would knock the mask off constantly and was seeing no change so I elected to get the sleep apnea surgery.

    Since then I have seen an increase in energy and since I started working out and eating better (and having lost almost 50 lbs) I have seen a HUGE decrease in my sleep apnea. I no longer fall asleep @ 6pm at night and am not nodding off at work.


    If your sleep apnea is weight related then losing the weight will help.
  • vermilion354
    vermilion354 Posts: 1
    yes, it did for me
  • mrsmarit
    mrsmarit Posts: 229 Member
    I can't use a CPAP anymore for health reasons (it caused TMJ so severe I had a 6 month migraine). I had severe sleep apnea and was waking up every 3 minutes, essentially getting no sleep without help. Now that I have lost weight (I lost 20 pounds before I joined MFP) I only wake up about 20 times a night. That is not nearly as bad so I don't even treat it anymore. My only other choice is to have surgery, and I don't want that.

    My doc told me that the surgery is not even very successful in a lot of cases. He feels that the mouth appliances are probably the best thing if your apnea isn't too bad. I wear one, but I would love to be free of even that.


    As someone who had the surgery I would disagree. It worked very well for me and has made a HUGE difference in my life. Yes it doesn't work for some people but it does work for others.
  • dakitten2
    dakitten2 Posts: 888 Member
    When I started I had sleep apnea and slept via a cpap machine. I started at 290 pounds. I think around the time I was 190-200, my doctor sent me for a new sleep study. Happily, I no longer had sleep apnea!. I put the machine in the closet and havent used it since.

    I used to snore so bad I would wake myself up if I wasnt using the machine, like a nap or something. Now the only thing that snores in our bed is the dog!
  • yensidtoon
    yensidtoon Posts: 82 Member
    I can't use a CPAP anymore for health reasons (it caused TMJ so severe I had a 6 month migraine). I had severe sleep apnea and was waking up every 3 minutes, essentially getting no sleep without help. Now that I have lost weight (I lost 20 pounds before I joined MFP) I only wake up about 20 times a night. That is not nearly as bad so I don't even treat it anymore. My only other choice is to have surgery, and I don't want that.

    My doc told me that the surgery is not even very successful in a lot of cases. He feels that the mouth appliances are probably the best thing if your apnea isn't too bad. I wear one, but I would love to be free of even that.

    Thanks for that info. Definitely won't have the surgery now!
  • SanteMulberry
    SanteMulberry Posts: 3,202 Member
    I can't use a CPAP anymore for health reasons (it caused TMJ so severe I had a 6 month migraine). I had severe sleep apnea and was waking up every 3 minutes, essentially getting no sleep without help. Now that I have lost weight (I lost 20 pounds before I joined MFP) I only wake up about 20 times a night. That is not nearly as bad so I don't even treat it anymore. My only other choice is to have surgery, and I don't want that.

    I got horrible headaches with CPAP too---never knew why. I also started getting severe nosebleeds so I had to stop it. Fortunately, I had lost enough weight by that time that I could safely go to a mouth appliance, which works more or less okay, but I would love to be done with it too.
  • TrailRunner61
    TrailRunner61 Posts: 2,505 Member
    I lost 40lbs, am in a healthy weight range and I still have it, but I don't snore like I did. I think it depends on why you have it. If it's from an obstruction that you can shrink with weightloss, then maybe it can go away. If it's from a 'floppy' airway, you'll still have it. For me, I just randomly stop breathing over 200 times per night and breathe very shallow, so I'll be on it for life.
    I'd get re-tested after weight loss and see if it's gone. Hopefully for you, it will be!

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