Is there such a thing as sleep apnea weight gain? That means gaining weight because you have sleep apnea. People are asking this question. Science has an answer. Read this article to find out what is the answer and what can you do if you are in this particular situation.
As you probably know, sleep apnea (SA) is a medical condition which is characterized by interruptions of the breathing, these periods when the person stops breathing ranging from a few seconds to a minute. In this can happen many times during the night. Because of this blockage in breathing the sufferer wakes up frequently during the night.
People go through five stages during their sleep:
- Stage 1: Drowsiness
- Stage 2: Light Sleep
- Stage 3: Deep Sleep
- Stage 4: Slow-Wave Deep Sleep
- Stage 5: REM (Rapid eye movement)
Due to the waking up so many times during the time the apnea suffer can't get into the deep sleep stages, and especially into REM.
The result of sleep apnea is a poor quality sleep and also a shorter actual time spent in deep, replenishing sleep. Several studies undergone have shown that a lack of sleep is connected with obesity.
And now, regarding the sleep apnea weight gain, to explain how people with SA gain weight we have to consider the effect of hormones.
One hormone, called ghrelin, is in charge with boosting the appetite and stopping the loss of weight. Studies have revealed that a lack of sleep leads to an increase of this hormone.
There is another hormone, leptin, which suppresses the appetite. In persons who suffer from sleeplessness this hormone decreases and so, by this double action, people are left to the mercies of a greedy appetite and an inability to lose weight, even when dieting and exercising.
That is the simple explanation for the sleep apnea weight gain. So, the answer is clear: there is a connection between apnea and weight gain and the mechanism is just the one described. This information is very important.
Now, if you are caught in this vicious circle, what can you do? To lose weight you should sleep better. It is recommended sleeping at least 7 hours per night. And in order to have a deep, uninterrupted sleep you need to sort out the sleep apnea. People who have been treated for SA have lost weight even if prior to treating this sleeping disorder they were unsuccessful dieting and exercising.
