Two types of sleep apnea exist: central sleep apnea, caused by brain abnormalities, and obstructive sleep apnea, caused by blockage of your airways by obstruction in your throat. Obstructive sleep apnea, the more common type, affects over 12 million Americans, the National Institutes of Health reports. Sleep apnea causes periodic interruptions in breathing that may last up to 20 seconds and occur as many as 100 times an hour, the University of Maryland Medical Center reports.
Causes
Excess weight, especially around your neck, can cause obstructive sleep apnea. Relaxation of the throat muscles and enlarged tonsil and adenoids can also cause obstructive sleep apnea, but the typical person with the disorder is an overweight, middle-age male with a history of allergies, the University of Maryland Medical Center reports. Women and even children can also have obstructive sleep apnea. Weight loss can help reduce the symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea.
Diagnosis
Overnight testing in a sleep clinic that records the number and duration of apneic episodes you have each night helps make the diagnosis.
Treatment
Losing weight helps treat obstructive sleep apnea in overweight people. People with mild cases may eliminate sleep apnea altogether by losing weight, the American Sleep Apnea Association reports. Avoiding alcohol and other depressants and sleeping on your side instead of your back may also help. Continuous positive airway pressure, or CPAP, keeps the airway open by blowing air through a mask into the airway. Although CPAP effectively treats sleep apnea, particularly while a person loses weight if needed, it's uncomfortable to use, especially at first.
Results
People with sleep apnea who lost at least 10 percent of their weight were three times as likely to decrease or eliminate sleep apnea episodes, a study led by Temple University found. The study found that 13.6 percent of people who lost 10 percent completely cured their sleep apnea, compared to 3.5 percent of the group with less weight loss. The group that lost weight also had about half the incidence of severe apnea as those who lost little weight.
Benefits
While excess weight is not the only reason people develop sleep apnea, it's a possible factor. If you have mild sleep apnea, losing weight and other simple measures may help you reduce or completely eliminate the disorder. You benefit by reducing daytime drowsiness and decreasing the risk of developing high blood pressure, impotence, memory problems, morning headaches or depression. However, if you have severe sleep apnea, using CPAP will benefit you as you lose weight.
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