If you suffer from both obesity and sleep apnea you must be able to get the treatment you need. With the use of a CPAP machine or oral appliance therapy, you will find that you feel much more rested and awake during the day. As your energy levels continue to grow and your sluggish feelings diminish, you can then work towards building an exercise schedule that will allow you to lose weight to further treat your sleep apnea.
The Double-Edged Sword: Sleep Apnea and Weight
Although weight loss is a great way to improve sleep apnea symptoms, it’s not always easy. Those with untreated sleep apnea often feel tired, drowsy, and unmotivated to get involved in any sort of exercise. Sleep apnea is known to cause daytime sleepiness which often deters a sleep apneic from doing anything outside of his/her normal routine. Sleep deprivation and overall drowsiness contribute to low energy levels, which usually means little to no exercise happens. Instead, those with sleep apnea are more prone to look for a quick pick-me-up, instead of a healthier alternative so they eat (usually unhealthy foods that are high in sugar), which causes additional weight gain.
On the flip side, not everyone who has sleep apnea has a weight problem. In some cases, they develop a weight problem as a result of sleep apnea. When sleep apnea goes untreated, they will continue to feel tired and reach for foods that will cause weight gain. As a result, sleep apnea can cause weight gain.
In the end, untreated sleep apnea is a double-edged sword. It can cause you to gain weight and make it impossible to lose weight.
Should I Lose Weight to Treat Sleep Apnea?
You’re probably wondering if it’s worth it to put all your energy into losing weight to treat your sleep apnea. This isn’t the best approach. You might exercise for a few days and try to steer away from unhealthy food choices. But without treating your sleep apnea, it can feel difficult to stick to a consistent diet and exercise regimen. With treatment, patients can help regulate their hunger hormones and gain the energy they need to stay consistent.
When it comes to treating sleep apnea, the important thing to remember is that the cause must be first diagnosed and treated before any symptoms can be fixed. In some cases, sleep apnea may cause obesity, in other cases, obesity may cause sleep apnea. The ideal way to tackle both problems is to use common sleep apnea treatments which then allow the patient to have more energy and drive to exercise to lose weight.
How Sleep Apnea Treatment Can Help You Lose Weight
If you suffer from both obesity and sleep apnea you must be able to get the treatment you need. With the use of a CPAP machine or oral appliance therapy, you will find that you feel much more rested and awake during the day. As your energy levels continue to grow and your sluggish feelings diminish, you can then work towards building an exercise schedule that will allow you to lose weight to further treat your sleep apnea.
Can Losing Weight Help Improve Sleep Apnea?
Once you receive a sleep apnea treatment plan that works for you, it will be easier to lose weight. Your newfound energy and rebalance of hunger hormones will allow you to exercise regularly and make smarter food choices. But how does this affect your current sleep apnea condition?
Losing Weight Can Decrease the Severity of Sleep Apnea
Once you start losing weight, it can help decrease the severity of sleep apnea. Losing weight in combination with sleep apnea treatment will help you get a better night of sleep and improve other sleep apnea symptoms. This is because being overweight or obese is one of the risk factors for sleep apnea.
Excess weight causes extra tissue to accumulate in the upper airway which can change the airway’s shape or the weight causes the soft tissue to collapse during sleep. As you lose weight, it will take pressure off your airway and reduce the chance of it collapsing. As a result, losing weight can also help you stop snoring.
Weight Loss Can Cure Mild Sleep Apnea
Losing weight won’t just improve your sleep apnea condition, if you have only a mild condition, losing weight can cure you. A study monitored 72 patients who were overweight with mild sleep apnea. These patients change to a low-calorie diet and also received lifestyle counseling. Each patient lost weight and took a new sleep test. The test showed that the total number of patients with sleep apnea decreased by 75%. This means that only a handful of patients still had sleep apnea after losing weight.
The Good News For Obese Patients With Sleep Apnea
For obese patients suffering from OSA, there are plenty of options available. From sleep physicians to nutritionists and sleep dentists such as Dr. Berry, treatment is readily available and treatment in some form or another should work for everyone.
While various sleep apnea treatments are available, including CPAP and oral appliance therapy, treatment is two-fold in patients who are overweight. With the help of sleep apnea technology, patients should work towards losing weight as another way to treat their sleep apnea. Weight loss has proven to be a very effective way to help in reducing sleep apnea symptoms. In fact, an Indiana man named Ryan Daffer lost 460lbs after being told his life expectancy was short and that he was suffering from sleep apnea amongst a plethora of other health conditions. When treating sleep apnea and obesity at the same time, successful treatment of both conditions is much more likely.
Get Sleep Apnea Treatment in Denver
The best way to kick-start a weight loss regimen to improve your sleep apnea condition is to get sleep apnea treatment first. Dr. Berry will provide you with an oral appliance depending on your preference and needs. Once you consistently use your treatment, you will regain your energy and balanced hunger hormones to start an exercise and healthy eating regimen.
If you’re overweight and you snore or have been diagnosed with sleep apnea, contact Dr. Berry online or call (303) 691-0267 today to schedule a sleep apnea treatment consultation.
