Connecting the Dots
What is the connection between weight and sleep apnea?
According to WebMD, excessive body weight and obesity, defined as a body mass index of 25.0 - 30.0 or above, are the most common reason and “strongest risk factor” for experiencing obstructive sleep apnea. [1] Although, not just weight matters, but also directly correlates to neck circumference in both men and women. This excess body weight can add pressure onto the neck and chest while a person sleeps on their back. This will make it difficult for the airway path to remain open and for the lungs to fully expand, thus, compressing the lungs and creating shallow, insufficient breaths.
It may seem the obvious solution to this would be to lose weight. However, this can be very difficult for someone whom, night after night, is not getting adequate sleep. Additionally, exercising during the day while exhausted can be dangerous.
When we do not get enough sleep at night, we over compensate throughout the day to combat excessive tiredness. In the morning, too tired to wake up when the alarm goes off, you hit the snooze button, possibly more than once and now you are rushing to get out the door. You down a cup of coffee, perhaps even two or three. You add sugar and cream for that extra boost. With the lack of time, making a healthy breakfast is out; you grab something quick on the go or grab a donut or bagel from the office break room. Then after a long day at the office, or with the kids, or whatever your day can bring, come dinner time the mind and body is too tired to make a large healthy dinner and clean up the mess after, so you order take out. By then, it’s possible that you are so hungry that you over-eat. Does this sound familiar? I know that many of us can relate to this scenario. When it happens again and again, the body’s chemistry and hormones are adjusting to compensate for the erratic diet and slowly the weight begins to grow. Coupled with a poor diet and being too tired to exercise, over time, the body may become obese keeping the poor sleep and eating cycle feeding on itself.
It may seem obvious what the solution here is ... get more sleep! But it is not always that simple. There can be many contributing factors to weight gain, not just lack of sleep. Doing our best to keep off the excessive weight will directly decrease your chances of developing obstructive sleep apnea. But if the vicious battle with fatigue continues it is best to consult with a physician, a sleep specialist, to determine your symptoms and seek treatment. After testing and diagnosis, the trained specialists can help you determine what areas of your lifestyle may be contributing to sleep apnea, whether it be excessive body weight or another issue. Speak to your specialist about developing a personalized treatment plan to help you get more sleep and maybe even lose some weight. Then you can wake up refreshed and bounce out of bed before your alarm goes off!