Sleep Apnea / Obesity link?

Question

I'm just curious if anyone out there was once overweight then got sleep apnea.
Then after getting healthy and fit (lost weight) the sleep apnea subsided?

Answer 1

This is very common, and as one person stated already, as you gain weight, especially around the neck, the extra tissues tend to narrow the space in the throat. As you go to sleep and your muscles relax, your jaw tends to drop back, pushing your tongue and soft tissues back against the back of the throat, or closer to it. This significantly narrows the airway. Snoring is due to the air passing thru this narrowed passage and the soft tissues and the tongue vibrate. At times the airway will become completely blocked and you have apnea.

Anyway, the more weight you gain, the larger your neck becomes, the more susceptible your are to this condition and one of the most effective ways to reduce snoring and apnea is to lose weight.

I hope this helps answer your question.

Answer 2

Yes, there's a link.

Having been a yo-yo dieter in the past, I found that whenever I'd exceed a certain weight, I'd start snoring more. At least that's what my wife would tell me. Gain a little more weight, and I'd start having apneic episodes.

Both problems went away, however, when I lost the weight.

Answer 3

Not me personally, but I know a few guys who have had that happen. What I was told was that some sleep apnea is anatomical..(fat) and some is brain induced.

Answer 4

it is a proven fact in medicine that as one grows more fat he starts getting more prone for sleep apnoea simply becoz of the fact that when he grows fat,there is narrowing of the space thru which air enters when he sleeps.this leads to apnoea.and the cure for sure is getting slimmer and fitter.thats also the reason why fat people snore more than slim ones.gottit?

Answer 5

I don't know about a sleep/obesity link but I do know there is a link between a persons elbow bending and obesity.