Sleep Apnea and Obesity

If you find yourself waking up every morning feeling grumpy and drowsy every afternoon, and are struggling with your weight, you may have a form of sleep apnea.

Obstructive sleep apnea, the most common form of sleep apnea, is caused by extra tissue in the upper airway that collapses and literally blocks the airflow to the lungs.

It is often linked to obesity: With the staggering increase in obesity numbers, the rate of sleep apnea cases has climbed as well.

If you have any of the following risk factors or symptoms, you may have or you may develop sleep apnea in your lifetime.

Who commonly has it

• Males
• Post-Menopausal Women
• Obese individuals
• People with a neck size over 17

Included symptoms

• Snoring
• Acting grumpy, impatient, or irritable
• Being forgetful
• Feeling drowsy or falling asleep during the daytime
• Headaches that are hard to treat
• Depression
• Witnessed episodes of irregular breathing while sleeping

One of the main treatment goals for patients with sleep apnea is losing weight to decrease the number of apnea spells during the night. Sleep apnea is commonly linked to heart disease and high blood pressure – both of which are also improved by weight loss and healthy lifestyle changes.

If you have sleep apnea and a BMI over 35, you may be a candidate for bariatric surgery.