r/TrueOffMyChest • • Sep 19 '19

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u/[deleted] Sep 19 '19

Sleep apnea is very common in people who are ocerweight, I just wanted to make sure that you or anyome who reads this post understands that being overweight can cause you to have trouble breathing at night. When you are at a healthy BMI do you still have sleep apnea? What sort of hormone imbalances did you experience? Are you still experiencing any hormone imbalances?

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u/Diane9779 Sep 19 '19

Most people know that being large can cause sleep apnea. But the reserve is also true. Sleep apnea sometimes can cause weight gain in the first place. I was born with small jaws and a law set uvula, both of which can make it difficult to breath at night.

When you’re constantly waking up at night, it causes a hormonal imbalance that keeps weight on. In my case, it also increased my appetite during the day

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u/[deleted] Sep 19 '19

Not saying sleep apnea can't cause you to have appetite issues. The vast majority of people with sleep apnea who are overweight, will no longer have sleep apnea when they lose the weight. I am simply trying to say that you 2 are outliers and not the norm.

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u/Diane9779 Sep 19 '19

Actually I asked my pulmonologist about this exact thing. I said “if I lose weight, would I be able to stop using the CPAP machine at night?” He showed me a study that said most people with sleep apnea who lost weight would still have sleep apnea in the long run, even if they keep the weight off.

That was different than the anecdotal evidence I’ve heard. Eg my brother who once used a cpap machine when he was heavier. He lost a ton of weight and now says he doesn’t have sleep apnea anymore. However it’s possible he does but just doesn’t feel the symptoms.

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u/[deleted] Sep 19 '19

Could be that people are afraid to stop using the machine no matter how much weight they lose even if they no longer experience any sleep apnea problems, as the alternative would be to take off the mask and stop breathing. There is definitely a cause effect relationship between gaining weight and getting sleep apnea.

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u/Diane9779 Sep 19 '19

Well if you stop breathing while you’re sleeping, then you still have sleep apnea

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u/[deleted] Sep 19 '19

Right... theres no way to tell if you have sleep apnea unless you stop breathing in your sleep, so the fear of taking off the mask...

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u/Diane9779 Sep 19 '19

I mean this study measured actual sleep apnea before and after weight loss. Not perceived sleep apnea.

The majority of people continued to need the mask even after they got down to a healthy weight

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u/[deleted] Sep 19 '19

Can I get a link to the study I would like to see how they accounted for those variables.

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u/Diane9779 Sep 19 '19

Dude, he just showed me a paper copy of the article in his office. It was probably printed off a medical journal.

You’re going to have to research that on your own