How can Weight Loss Aid in Sleep Apnea?

Sleep apnea causes you to stop breathing during sleep and frequently. The time you stop breathing can be between a few minutes and a few seconds. Sleep apnea may have a significant influence on your health and wellbeing, but not life-threatening. Studies have indeed demonstrated that issues such as heart attacks are much more common among sleep apneas patients. You may wonder if treatment options for this condition are available in sleep clinics. You could, for example, hear that weight loss could help to give relief from sleep apnea.

Weight and Sleep Apnea

Research has indicated that being overweight and sleep apnea seem to be significantly correlated. Indeed, if you are overweight, you may have a problem such as this. However, sleep apnea does not affect all patients who are obese. Likewise, not all patients with sleep apnea will be overweight. That said, you should consider a physical evaluation if you are overweight. This determines if weight loss can help. This is important. This usually includes the measurement of the neck circumference. In general, 17" or higher in males and 16" in females will lead to a far greater chance of sleeping apnea.

Would It Help?

If you are obese, losing weight may suffice to completely heal the condition. This is not always the case, however, since there may be anatomical facts. For example, a person might have a weak chin, a deviated nasal septum. All these problems can cause certain sleep apnea levels and are not corrected by significant weight loss levels. This means a number of other benefits can be gained by losing weight.

It improves your joints, reduces blood pressure problems and gives your vitality a significant boost. So, weight loss will definitely never be the wrong choice and will certainly not worsen your sleep apnea. It can only improve it.

Is It Tough?

You may have heard that sleep apnea makes it harder to lose weight. This is because your metabolism is slowing down, and in some cases it may prevent you from losing weight. Research has shown this to be the case. That is why, before you start to make commitments to lose weight, it is important to ensure that you take steps to control your sleep apnea. Your ENT at a sleep clinic can help you with this option and make sure you have the best chance of seeing results. A number of treatment options are available for sleep apnea.

CPAP or continuous positive airway pressure is the most common. This is usually done with a machine which can be installed near your bed. The weight loss may be more difficult because of the condition under which the body is in. It includes resistance to insulin, increased blood pressure and intolerance to glucose.

Weight Loss Importance

There is a clear connection between excess weight and sleep apnea. Overweight individuals have a greater likelihood of having additional tissue in their throat which can fall over the airways and block air flow to the lungs when they sleep.

Although it is easier to lose weight than to achieve it, it can produce real results. With excessive weight and obesity, sleep apnea and other health issues, such as cardiovascular disease, would disappear. With a loss of only 10% of body mass, sleep apnea symptoms may be affected greatly. The condition can be even cured when a significant weight loss occurs.

Contact sleep clinic in OKC at OKOA. Here we would help to get the best possible treatment for sleep apnea. Contact us for ENT problems and allergy issues.

**Disclaimer: The information on this page is not intended to be a doctor's advice, nor does it create any form of patient-doctor relationship.