To begin with, let’s answer the question “What is sleep apnea?“.
The sleeping disorder sleep apnea is defined by 5 to 15 failed breath intakes in one hour. The most common form of sleep apnea is OSA, the obstructive sleep apnea. Obstruction of the airway during sleep is the cause for OSA. Another form, that occurs quit rarely is CSA, central sneep apnea, where the signals to initiate the breathing movement sent by the brain ar unsufficient at best. This article will be about the vicious cycle of sleep apnea and obesity. But that does not mean obesity is the single cause for sleep apnea, other causes like
Diabetes and life style will be dealt with in more articles.
First of all: Don’t take this as a just a form of heavy snoring! As a serious medical condition, it does not only immediately effect the individual’s health (daytime fatigue, uncontrolled moods, indomnia, headaches). It also negatively affects the overall medical condition. Through the frequent oxygen deprivation other organs, like liver, kidneys and the heart can be permanently damaged. Sleep Apnea also increases the risk of strokes.
Men are more likely and obese individuals are far more likely to have OSA. Obesity can cause large tonsils, enlarged tongue and increased fat in the neck which press on the airway, when the throat (pharyngeal) muscles relax during sleep. 17 inches neck-circumflex in men and 16 inches in women indicate an increased risk of the individual to suffer from sleep apnea.
In the following I would like to show you what it is so important to cure sleep apnea, especially for obese people.
It is most important to act immediately when OSA is diagnosed, as sleep apnea and obesity influence each other negatively and make recovery increasingly hard.
1. the overall deterioration of the individual’s physical and psychological condition will make a regular exercise and healthy lifestyle plan harder to follow up with.
2. hunger is often caused by fatique and poor sleep. The reason is an alteration in the satiety hormones through fatigue and their influence on hunger.
3. sleep deprivation often increases blood pressure, cholesterol and fasting glucose which are often already present in obese individuals.
4. the hormones that control eating habits are often deranged by sleep apnea, which often leads to worsened obesity, higher blood pressure and glucose intolerance.
2. hunger is often caused by fatique and poor sleep. The reason is an alteration in the satiety hormones through fatigue and their influence on hunger.
3. sleep deprivation often increases blood pressure, cholesterol and fasting glucose which are often already present in obese individuals.
4. the hormones that control eating habits are often deranged by sleep apnea, which often leads to worsened obesity, higher blood pressure and glucose intolerance.
It’s a vicious cycle that leads to the ever faster deterioration of the obese individuals health. Obesity is never healthy, but in combination with sleep apnoe it becomes a very serious long term medical condition. If you have reason to believe that you have sleep apnea, please see a doctor and get it diagnosed in a sleep lab. If you are diagnosed with OSA you will have to follow thru with a strict weight loss and exercise plan. But the good news is, that it will dramatically increase your overall well being and improve you life quality dramatically.