3 ms·

I suffered from obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and snoring, and the two things that helped were sleeping on my side and weight loss. The latter was difficult to

by wenc 8y ago

I suffered from obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and snoring, and the two things that helped were sleeping on my side and weight loss. The latter was difficult to achieve but was the most high-leverage thing I ever did. I had no idea at the time, but my OSA was contributing to a slew of health problems like hypertension etc., and when I removed the cause, my overall health got better.

coldseattle 8y ago
Exactly. The need for a CPAP is almost always mitigated by weight loss.
- 0xcde4c3db 8y ago
  As far as I've read, weight loss almost always helps (assuming a person is obese, which is common with OSA because it's also a symptom), but it's unusual for it to totally eliminate the need for CPAP.
  - ellius 8y ago
    I experienced the reverse: using a CPAP finally gave me enough energy to start exercising, which helped me lose weight. I imagine if I stopped using the CPAP I would slowly start losing energy again and probably stop exercising and gain the weight back. The few nights I've gone without CPAP have left me feeling awful, even without as much weight.
    - wenc 8y ago
      Everyone's physiology differs, but I've learned that weight control is 80% diet and 20% physical activity. (this assumes normal metabolism) I went to the gym for years and my weight fluctuated a couple of pounds. Cardio was especially ineffective for any kind of weight loss. Weights were much more effective because they increased my resting metabolism. I drastically reduced carbs from my diet, increased protein and vegetables, and the needle on the scale started moving. I ate about the same amount, but I changed the composition of my food -- no simple sugars or simple carbs. I don't want to be prescriptive, since everyone's different, but for anyone who finds it hard to adopt an exercise routine, I would encourage them to consider changing their diets and see if that makes a difference.
      - 0xcde4c3db 8y ago
        > (this assumes normal metabolism) Such an assumption is likely to be false in cases of chronic sleep disruption [1] [2] [3]. [1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2830474/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2830474/ [2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14512265 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14512265 [3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3476879/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3476879/
- Tharkun 8y ago
  That's all fine and well when OSA is the problem, but many people suffer from central sleep apnea and that has nothing to do with weight. Saying weight loss can mitigate the need "almost always" is an exaggeration at best.

by wenc 8y ago

coldseattle 8y ago

Exactly. The need for a CPAP is almost always mitigated by weight loss.

0xcde4c3db 8y ago
As far as I've read, weight loss almost always helps (assuming a person is obese, which is common with OSA because it's also a symptom), but it's unusual for it to totally eliminate the need for CPAP.
- ellius 8y ago
  I experienced the reverse: using a CPAP finally gave me enough energy to start exercising, which helped me lose weight. I imagine if I stopped using the CPAP I would slowly start losing energy again and probably stop exercising and gain the weight back. The few nights I've gone without CPAP have left me feeling awful, even without as much weight.
  - wenc 8y ago
    Everyone's physiology differs, but I've learned that weight control is 80% diet and 20% physical activity. (this assumes normal metabolism) I went to the gym for years and my weight fluctuated a couple of pounds. Cardio was especially ineffective for any kind of weight loss. Weights were much more effective because they increased my resting metabolism. I drastically reduced carbs from my diet, increased protein and vegetables, and the needle on the scale started moving. I ate about the same amount, but I changed the composition of my food -- no simple sugars or simple carbs. I don't want to be prescriptive, since everyone's different, but for anyone who finds it hard to adopt an exercise routine, I would encourage them to consider changing their diets and see if that makes a difference.
    - 0xcde4c3db 8y ago
      > (this assumes normal metabolism) Such an assumption is likely to be false in cases of chronic sleep disruption [1] [2] [3]. [1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2830474/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2830474/ [2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14512265 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14512265 [3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3476879/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3476879/
Tharkun 8y ago
That's all fine and well when OSA is the problem, but many people suffer from central sleep apnea and that has nothing to do with weight. Saying weight loss can mitigate the need "almost always" is an exaggeration at best.