Many patients with obstructive sleep apnea turn to a CPAP machine, which uses a special mask designed to help the person breathe, for relief from their symptoms. While CPAP machines generally reduce the symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea, scientists believe that a reduction in weight can also treat the disorder, perhaps even more permanently.
Obstructive sleep apnea is a common disorder that robs sufferers of feeling refreshed after a night’s sleep. The disorder causes the person's throat to narrow while asleep, waking them repeatedly throughout the night.
Obstructive sleep apnea is a serious condition and causes daytime fatigue, which puts people at an increased risk of impaired cognitive function, vehicle crashes and occupational injury, as well as decreased quality of life and increased risk of death.
Sleep apnea patients tend to have problems with weight. In fact, 70 percent of all people suffering from the sleep disorder are either overweight or obese.
To determine the relationship between the disorder and weight, researchers, led by Kari Johansson from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, studied 63 men with moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea between the ages of 30 and 65. All participants were overweight with a body mass index range of 30 to 40.
Researchers then placed participants on a one-year weight management plan and a nine-week very low energy diet consisting of only shakes, soups, cereal bars and porridge instead of normal meals. These meal replacement products, commonly found in the Cambridge weight plan, contain the vitamins and minerals necessary to promote healthy weight loss.
Participants also received counseling and advice about nutrition and exercise to keep their weight under control throughout the yearlong study.
When examined again, 48 percent of patients no longer required a CPAP machine and mask for relief from obstructive sleep apnea symptoms and 10 percent realized total remission of the disorder.
The study also found a direct relationship between weight loss and obstructive sleep apnea symptoms – the ones who lost the most weight improved the most.
These findings are to suggest that anyone suffering from obstructive sleep apnea consider a weight loss and management plan to find long-term relief from their symptoms.
Always consult your doctor before starting any type of weight management program.
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