Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat Is Sleep Apnea?SymptomsCausesWeight and Sleep ApneaRisk FactorsComplicationsDiagnosisTreatmentFrequently Asked Questions
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
What Is Sleep Apnea?
Symptoms
Causes
Weight and Sleep Apnea
Risk Factors
Complications
Diagnosis
Treatment
Frequently Asked Questions
Sleep apnea, also called obstructive sleepapnea, is a medical condition that many people live with. If left untreated, can cause many symptoms and potentially lead to complications such as weight gain, heart disease,diabetes, andmetabolic syndrome.
This article will review the causes of sleep apnea, how it can cause weight gain, and how sleep apnea is treated.
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Sleep apnea is a disorder in which the airway becomes obstructed, or narrowed, while you are sleeping. The narrowing of the airway then leads to impaired breathing while sleeping.
The lack of air entering the lungs causeshypoxia(decreased oxygen level in the blood). This then disrupts the sleep cycle, and someone with sleep apnea may then wake up.
This cycle continues over and over as someone is sleeping, up to dozens of times each hour. Disrupted sleep due to apnea may produce a variety of symptoms.
Symptoms of sleep apnea can include:
When to Talk to a Healthcare ProviderIf you are having any of the symptoms listed above, or if your sleep partner notices you’re gasping for air while sleeping or there are times you stop breathing, get evaluated as soon as you can. Ignoring symptoms of an underlying disorder could leave more time for complications to develop.
When to Talk to a Healthcare Provider
If you are having any of the symptoms listed above, or if your sleep partner notices you’re gasping for air while sleeping or there are times you stop breathing, get evaluated as soon as you can. Ignoring symptoms of an underlying disorder could leave more time for complications to develop.
When someone with sleep apnea is sleeping, their airway becomes blocked. Somecausesare:
Treatment of Obesity Hypoventilation Syndrome
Nerve or Muscle Changes
Sometimes damage to nerves in the brain, neck, or chest, can interfere with how well you are able to keep your airway open at night when sleeping. Some of the conditions that can affect the nervous system or muscular system include:
Sleep apnea is a common condition in those who have obesity. It is often thought to be a reversible cause of sleep apnea, meaning that if weight can be lost, the sleep apnea can resolve. However, sleep apnea is linked to weight gain, which can make losing weight difficult.
Weight Gain
Studies have demonstrated how the shortened sleep cycles experienced with sleep apnea can cause obesity. Weight gain from sleep apnea can be a very complex process of increasing inflammation in the body, combined withglucose intolerance,insulin resistance, and hormone imbalances.
A hormone calledleptinis stored in fat cells in the body. It signals the hypothalamus (in the brain) to let the brain know that the body is full and doesn’t need to eat. Sleep apnea can lead to a decrease of leptin production, so the brain doesn’t get the signal that the body is full.
People with obesity may also have higher levels of leptin due to the increased number of fat cells in the body. Sometimes the brain becomes desensitized to the action of leptin, and signals do not get across.
There are other hormones and signaling proteins found in fat cells that can affect how the brain functions during sleep. They can lead to the nerves and muscles in the chest and upper airway becoming weak and unable to keep the airway open during sleep.
This then causes inflammation to occur, which can lead to weight gain. This can be a difficult cycle to break.
Another hormone,gherlin, stimulates appetite. This hormone is released from the stomach to tell the brain it is hungry. With decreased sleep, as experienced in sleep apnea, the amount of gherlin is increased, causing the appetite to increase.
Weight Loss
Weight loss has been encouraged as an intervention for people with sleep apnea to help reduce their risks and complications from the sleep disorder. However, after reviewing the ways in which sleep apnea can cause weight gain, losing weight may be difficult.
Losing weight can be attempted through dietary changes, increased exercise, or medications. Weight loss surgery has also been used to help people with sleep apnea lose weight.
However, one of the treatments of sleep apnea, using continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy at night has been shown to improve some of the hormone imbalances associated with sleep apnea. Regular use of a CPAP may be helpful in losing weight.
Many factors can contribute to sleep apnea. Some of these risks factors are:
People of African American, Hispanic, or Native American heritage also have an increased risk of sleep apnea.
Sleep Apnea Complications
Getting a diagnosis and treatment for sleep apnea can reduce the risks of the serious complications of this condition. Some of the complications that can arise include:
Sleep apnea diagnosis begins with seeing a healthcare provider if you or your sleep partner is concerned that you may have sleep apnea. The provider will perform a physical examination and will assess your sleep apnea symptoms. They may refer you to a sleep specialist, who can perform a sleep study to evaluate you.
Sleep studiescan be done in a specialized sleep lab, or may be done at home. During a sleep study, heart rate and rhythm and oxygen levels are monitored during sleep. There is also an evaluation of how many times apnea episodes occur.
Sleep apnea can be graded into mild, moderate, or severe based on the number of apnea episodes that occur each hour. If you have mild sleep apnea, you will have four to 15 episodes of apnea in an hour. If you have moderate sleep apnea, you’ll experience 15 to 29 apnea events per hour. And if you have 30 or more apnea episodes per hour, your sleep apnea is severe.
Multiple interventions can be taken to help treat sleep apnea and reduce the risk of some of the health problems that can be associated with it. Treatments can include making lifestyle changes, using machines or other devices to help with breathing during sleep, and undergoing surgery, if necessary.
Lifestyle Changes
Losing weight can be helpful in treating sleep apnea, but, at the same time, sleep apnea can make it very difficult to lose weight. Things such as limiting calories, drinking fewer alcoholic beverages, and not smoking can reduce sleep apnea symptoms.
Sleep Apnea and FatigueThe cycle of sleep apnea and fatigue can be difficult to break. If sleep apnea is untreated, the person living with it may feel extremely tired during daytime hours.They may have little energy to do their routine activities and even less energy to exercise. Exercise often is an important part of maintaining a healthy weight while having sleep apnea.
Sleep Apnea and Fatigue
The cycle of sleep apnea and fatigue can be difficult to break. If sleep apnea is untreated, the person living with it may feel extremely tired during daytime hours.They may have little energy to do their routine activities and even less energy to exercise. Exercise often is an important part of maintaining a healthy weight while having sleep apnea.
The cycle of sleep apnea and fatigue can be difficult to break. If sleep apnea is untreated, the person living with it may feel extremely tired during daytime hours.
They may have little energy to do their routine activities and even less energy to exercise. Exercise often is an important part of maintaining a healthy weight while having sleep apnea.
Machines and Devices
A CPAP machine can be prescribed to someone with sleep apnea. This machine has a mask that fits over the nose and/or mouth, which is then connected with tubing to a machine that provides pressure to keep the airway open while sleeping.
Devices that are available include mouthpieces that position the jaw and stops it from moving while sleeping to help keep the airway open. There is also an oral device that keeps the tongue in a special position to prevent it from blocking the airway.
There is also an implantable device that monitors breathing patterns while someone is sleeping. If it senses a change in breathing patterns, it provides stimulation to the nerves to help keep the airway open.
Surgery
If enlarged tonsils are causing sleep apnea, having atonsillectomy(surgically removing the tonsils, the soft tissue masses at the back of the throat) may be needed. Other procedures can include surgery to reposition either the upper or lower jaw.
Summary
Sleep apnea is a condition in which the airway has difficulty staying open while someone is sleeping, either due to anatomic or neurological reasons or possibly due to being overweight or obese.
Treatment options for sleep apnea can include lifestyle changes, uses of devices or machines, such as a CPAP, or possibly even surgery.
A Word From Verywell
Someone with sleep apnea can snore very loudly, and very often. They may also sound like they are gasping for air while they are asleep.
Symptoms of sleep apnea can include:Daytime sleepinessDifficulty paying attention during the dayDry mouth in the morningHeadache in the morning
5 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Osman AM, Carter SG, Carberry JC, Eckert DJ.Obstructive sleep apnea: current perspectives.Nat Sci Sleep. 2018;10:21-34. doi:10.2147%2FNSS.S124657Bonsignore MR, Baiamonte P, Mazzuca E, Castrogiovanni A, Marrone O.Obstructive sleep apnea and comorbidities: a dangerous liaison.Multidisciplinary Respiratory Medicine. 2019;14(1):8. doi:10.1186/s40248-019-0172-9National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.Sleep apnea.Patel SR.The complex relationship between weight and sleep apnoea.Thorax. 2015;70(3):205-206. doi:10.1136/thoraxjnl-2014-206484National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.Sleep apnea information page.
5 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Osman AM, Carter SG, Carberry JC, Eckert DJ.Obstructive sleep apnea: current perspectives.Nat Sci Sleep. 2018;10:21-34. doi:10.2147%2FNSS.S124657Bonsignore MR, Baiamonte P, Mazzuca E, Castrogiovanni A, Marrone O.Obstructive sleep apnea and comorbidities: a dangerous liaison.Multidisciplinary Respiratory Medicine. 2019;14(1):8. doi:10.1186/s40248-019-0172-9National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.Sleep apnea.Patel SR.The complex relationship between weight and sleep apnoea.Thorax. 2015;70(3):205-206. doi:10.1136/thoraxjnl-2014-206484National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.Sleep apnea information page.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Osman AM, Carter SG, Carberry JC, Eckert DJ.Obstructive sleep apnea: current perspectives.Nat Sci Sleep. 2018;10:21-34. doi:10.2147%2FNSS.S124657Bonsignore MR, Baiamonte P, Mazzuca E, Castrogiovanni A, Marrone O.Obstructive sleep apnea and comorbidities: a dangerous liaison.Multidisciplinary Respiratory Medicine. 2019;14(1):8. doi:10.1186/s40248-019-0172-9National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.Sleep apnea.Patel SR.The complex relationship between weight and sleep apnoea.Thorax. 2015;70(3):205-206. doi:10.1136/thoraxjnl-2014-206484National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.Sleep apnea information page.
Osman AM, Carter SG, Carberry JC, Eckert DJ.Obstructive sleep apnea: current perspectives.Nat Sci Sleep. 2018;10:21-34. doi:10.2147%2FNSS.S124657
Bonsignore MR, Baiamonte P, Mazzuca E, Castrogiovanni A, Marrone O.Obstructive sleep apnea and comorbidities: a dangerous liaison.Multidisciplinary Respiratory Medicine. 2019;14(1):8. doi:10.1186/s40248-019-0172-9
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.Sleep apnea.
Patel SR.The complex relationship between weight and sleep apnoea.Thorax. 2015;70(3):205-206. doi:10.1136/thoraxjnl-2014-206484
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.Sleep apnea information page.
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