Sleep apnea question

I am also a cpap user also & have always wondered the same thing. Let's lose & find out ok!:flowerforyou:

i think medication is better ...how old ?

i think medication is better ...how old ?

For sleep apnea? Doctors RARELY prescribe medication for sleep apnea.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

I no longer use my machine haven't used in for months now. Life is grand

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.

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.

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.