A great place to start Disorder information source Rated and Reviewed Sleep Links Entrance to all monitored Sleep Forums Search all of Sleepnet.com


Sleep Apnea
Forum Posting


Archived Apnea Forum121 viewing only. To post a new topic go to the Apnea Forum Homepage.

Re: Weight

Posted by BeardedMan on July 29, 2004 at 11:39:56:

In Reply to: Weight posted by Barb (Seattle) on July 28, 2004 at 07:35:29:

As stated in my response to Barb, I'm about 50-70 pounds overweight (variance is due to the charts as opposed to what I would like to be at).

I'm a 5' 10" 38 year old male and I've been on CPAP for 4+ years. In that time, I've lost some weight, but nothing like the weight gain over the years. I reach a certain level and then it takes awhile to be able to go below that. Sigh. I really need to be able to exercise more.

I don't think weight is what caused sleep apnea for me because I think I probably had OSA during high school (if not before). I remember snoring then for sure. At the time, I was probably only 5-10 pounds overweight. It was at the end of my college degree when I started working full-time and was in a very stressful job that I started putting weight on. Of course, things went from non-optimal to worse until I was diagnosed and got on CPAP.

As I've read, weight can be an indicator, but isn't a definite culprit (though, of course, if one is overweight, it's best to lose it!). Just like snoring. It's an indicator but if you snore, it doesn't automatically mean you've got OSA. I think it's a factor of environment (what you eat, how much, if you exercise, stress, etc.), genetics (predisposed to apnea?, how well you handle stress, etc.), and who knows?

Also, if weight was the main cause, then losing weight would seem to be the cure for it. For what people have said here on this forum, based on their experience, and other things that I've read, it might reduce their pressure (I remember somewhere that someone, after losing weight actually had to have their pressure increased! not typical though, I'd guess), but it's the rare individual that is able to lose the weight and lose the CPAP along with it.

It would be nice to know what causes it, but what would be even nicer would be to know how to cure it! Rather than use a CPAP for life (which I'm grateful that we have that!), it would be great to be able to go into the doctor (or have it diagnosed before you've even realized it was a problem) and he fixes it for you! Hopefully in the future that might happen, but I'm not holding my breath or getting rid of my machine!

It will be interesting to see the different answers on this question. Thanks for asking it Barb!

Follow Ups:


Archived Apnea Forum121 viewing only. To post a new topic go to the Apnea Forum Homepage

  • IMPORTANT : Information not intended as medical advice. If you suspect that you have a sleep disorder you should seek care from a qualified professional. Read Terms of Use.
  • The Sleep Forums are not to be used for commercial purposes.
  • Commercial products and services are not endorsed by Sleepnet.com.
  • Sleep Deprivation due to Sleep Apnea and insufficient sleep are common and can present as insomnia, narcolepsy, or idiopathic hypersomnia. In infants and children sleep problems commonly present themselves as ADD or ADHD.


Copyright ©1995-2005 Sleepnet.com., All rights reserved