Sleep Apnoea and Weight: Understanding the connection

Do you struggle to lose weight regardless of which approach you take? Have you tried anything, only to find yourself on the verge of burnout and ready to give up? 

It’s time for you to look into something that is too often overlooked: your sleep. You might think now, “Why should I examine my sleep? What does it have to do with losing weight?”

The connection between weight loss and sleep is profound and highly complex. Understanding this connection can bring a sense of relief, as it provides a new perspective and potential solution to your struggles. 

Here we’ll discuss something important yet often misunderstood and neglected: sleep apnoea. This condition is correlated with many health conditions and also weight gain. We’ll delve into what sleep apnoea is, its impact on your health, and management strategies.

What is Sleep Apnoea?

Sleep apnoea is a common yet serious sleep disorder that causes an individual to stop breathing intermittently while asleep. Those with sleep apnoea may experience these interruptions hundreds of times at night.

This sleep disorder cannot be overlooked as a mere annoyance. Such disruptions, by disrupting the sleep cycle, can significantly impact one's health. The two most common types are Obstructive sleep apnoea and central sleep apnoea.

Obstructive Sleep Apnoea

The most common type is Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). This specific type occurs when the muscle in the throat relaxes excessively, leading to a partial or complete closure of the airways, therefore pausing breathing. 

OSA is more common in those who are overweight as often, excess fat tissue in the neck area can obstruct the airway. When the airways are relaxed during sleep, excess fat increases the likelihood of the throat collapsing, blocking airflow. 

Furthermore, excess fat on the abdomen and chest can prevent the lungs from fully expanding when one breathes in. One of the symptoms associated with OSA is often loud snoring, although not everyone who snores has sleep apnoea.

Central Sleep Apnoea

Another less common type of sleep apnoea is called Central Sleep Apnoea (CSA). Here the airways aren’t blocked but rather the brain fails to send signals to the muscles that control breathing. 

It is crucial to note that CSA may often be linked to other health conditions.

The rarest form, Complex Sleep Apnoea Syndrome, occurs when someone has obstructive and central sleep apnoea. 

Signs and Symptoms of sleep apnoea:

Beyond snoring, many other signs and symptoms might suggest the presence of sleep apnoea. Your support system, including your partner or family members, can play a crucial role in recognizing the most common signs:

• Waking up abruptly due to gasping or choking.

• Headaches and dry mouth the following morning

By understanding these signs, your loved ones can provide the support and encouragement you need to seek diagnosis and treatment, making you feel supported and cared for.

Other symptoms, more commonly seen during the day include:

• Difficulty concentrating - having a ‘foggy brain’

• Mood disturbances, such as anxiety, irritability, and depression.

The Impact of Sleep Apnoea on Overall Health

Sleep apnoea is a condition that affects millions worldwide and can significantly impact overall health. As an online clinic specialising in weight loss, we have witnessed first hand how this can alter one’s life. 

Unfortunately, people with sleep apnoea are often unaware of this condition despite it significantly influencing their daily lives. Let's cover in more detail the impact of sleep apnoea on someone's health and general well-being.

Cardiovascular health

Sleep apnoea implications go beyond daytime sleepiness; it has a wide range of adverse effects on an individual's health. Cardiovascular health can be put under strain due to the continued episodes of low oxygen levels at night. The frequent interruption in breathing puts the heart and blood vessels under tremendous stress. 

The disruption of natural breathing can lead to sustained high blood pressure, known to increase the risk for serious cardiovascular events such as heart attacks, strokes, and atrial fibrillation, all of which can lead to other heart complications.

Weight gain

Additionally, by disrupting the sleep cycle, sleep apnoea also negatively impacts the hormones that regulate appetite and satiety. This leads to daytime craving for high-calorie foods, contributing to weight gain. So now you may start seeing the connection between sleep apnoea, the inability to lose weight, and difficulties managing appetite. 

Sleep, hunger levels and cravings are deeply interconnected, so people often find it challenging to manage their appetite or food choices. Hormones often take over, and you might feel hungry despite having had a reasonable amount of food not too long before. In these cases, it is not about lack of willpower; it is down to the body giving the wrong signals due to the disrupted sleep. 

This vicious cycle of sleep apnoea leading to weight gain and weight gain worsening sleep apnoea can be a significant barrier to weight loss and overall health.

Furthermore, sleep apnoea is linked with insulin resistance, which impairs the body’s ability to use insulin efficiently, increasing the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Mental Health

Disrupted sleep, consequential to sleep apnoea, also adversely affects mental health. 

Constant sleep disturbances can cause daytime fatigue, resulting in low concentration, poor memory, and difficulty in decision-making. Some patients report having mood swings, depression and anxiety, as psychological resilience heavily depends on good quality sleep.

It is essential to mention the adverse effects of sleep apnoea on everyday life. I have seen many clients whose personal and professional lives were severely affected. They were not performing well at work, lacked the energy to enjoy family life and faced significant challenges in personal relationships, pushing them to the verge of breakdown. 

Noticeably, most were overweight and presented with various health conditions.

All the above factors make clear why sleep apnoea diagnosis is essential to mitigate the health risks and improve the quality of life for those affected.

Treatment and Management Strategies 

Sleep apnoea treatment is essential to reducing the risks of severe health complications and restoring good-quality sleep, which can drastically increase the quality of life of those with this disorder.

The approach to managing sleep apnoea often combines lifestyle modifications, medical devices and, in some cases, even surgery. Let’s review these different treatments.

Lifestyle Modifications

Lifestyle changes are one of the cornerstones of treatment. For those who are overweight, losing weight can significantly reduce the severity of the symptoms and, in some cases, even eliminate them.

Other beneficial changes are to:

• Stop smoking

• Decreasing alcohol consumption

• Changing your sleeping position, to lying on one's side instead of the back

Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) Machine

This is often the most common and effective treatment of moderate to severe sleep apnoea. CPAP works by blowing air into the mask, which keeps the throat open during sleep. Modern CPAP machines are much more comfortable and relatively inexpensive, making them a viable way to go in case of sleep apnoea.

Oral Appliances

Custom-made oral appliances designed to keep the throat open are also available when someone cannot tolerate CPAP or has a milder case of sleep apnoea. Known as mandibular repositioning appliances (MRA), these are similar to orthodontic mouthguards, and they work by supporting the position of the jaw and tongue, keeping the airways open.

Surgery

In some cases, surgery is the most effective option. However, as it is an invasive procedure, it's usually reserved as a last resort.

Conclusion

Given sleep apnoea’s strong link with other health conditions, a comprehensive approach involving specialist doctors and nutritionists is essential. In some cases, coaching or behavioural therapy is helpful in supporting people in gradually adopting the necessary lifestyle changes.

Referral to sleep studies available through the NHS or privately is crucial for those looking to improve their relationship with food and their body while losing weight. Without addressing sleep, achieving, and maintaining weight loss is nearly impossible.

In conclusion, I hope this blog helps you understand sleep apnoea and the importance of treating it to virtually achieve any health goal you might have. If you suspect that you or a loved one might have sleep apnoea, speak to a health professional for advice.