Sleep problems have become common in people at present. There can be several reasons behind it, ranging from an unhealthy lifestyle, stress, and poor sleep habits. One sleep disorder that torments many individuals is sleep apnea.

1. How weight gain affects sleep
apnea?

2. Sleep problems have become common in people at present. There can be
several reasons behind it, ranging from an unhealthy lifestyle, stress, and
poor sleep habits. One sleep disorder that torments many individuals is sleep
apnea. For those of you who are wondering what is sleep apnea, it is a health
condition where people experience disrupted breathing while resting. Those
who have OSA can have as many as thirty pauses in the process of inhaling
and exhaling air in one night. But is sleep apnea related to weight gain? Is
there a link between them? Come, let’s find out!

3. How excess weight is responsible for sleep apnea?
Overweight people are at an increased risk of suffering from sleep apnea. The
explanation behind this is fat deposits. In obese people, excessive weight
leads to the deposition of fat around the neck area, referred to as pharyngeal
fat. It can block your upper airway while you are asleep and relaxed. It also
causes people who have sleep apnea to snore, as, in this situation, the air is
literally being pushed through a restricted airway.

4. Besides, being overweight is again responsible for increased abdominal girth.
It is so because excess fat can flatten your chest wall and decrease lung
volume. The limited capacity of the lungs can lessen the airflow, making the
upper airway likely to collapse as you sleep. According to a study, the risk of
OSA is high in people who have a high body mass index calculated based on
one’s height and weight. It suggests that as little as 10% weight gain increases
the OSA risk by six-fold.

5. Can sleep apnea lead to weight gain?
The link between sleep apnea and being overweight is bilateral. Just as being
overweight increases your risk of sleep apnea, suffering from this condition
makes you vulnerable to gaining weight. It is so because lack of sleep results
in decreased leptin production (an appetite-suppressing hormone) and
increased release of ghrelin (an appetite-related hormone. Because of this,
patients suffering from sleep apnea experience increased cravings for calorie-
dense food that can make them obese. Besides, sleeplessness has also been
associated with overeating, obesity, and decreased fat loss.

6. Are OSA patients more likely to gain weight?
According to the reports, OSA patients are more likely to gain weight than
people who have the same body mass and health status but are not suffering
from sleep apnea. It was proved in a study that showcased how people who
had OSA acquired more weight, around 16 pounds, than people who had the
same BMI but were not OSA patients.

7. What are the possible health effects of sleep apnea and weight gain?
OSA patients who are also overweight should be more careful because both
these conditions are associated with several health problems, including-
• Stroke
• Type 2 diabetes
• Metabolic syndrome
• Atrial fibrillation
• Coronary heart disease
• Type 2 diabetes
• Heart failure
Sleep apnea has a two-way relationship with obesity. While people who have
the prior condition are at an increased risk of gaining weight, being obese also
increases their chances of having obstructive sleep apnea.

8. Thank You