Sleep well, get moving, and feel great!

I absolutely love my job.

I love it because it lets me help people find better sleep.

But it’s not just better sleep they’re finding, and I see it all the time in our patients – improving sleep benefits all sorts of things: relationships, work, sex drive, social interactions, stress management, and more!

One huge element that goes with sleep is physical activity – activity and sleep feed each other in a miraculous cycle, and that’s what I’m focusing on for this blog.

Restful sleep is essential for getting the most out of your day

People with Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) don’t have access to properly restful sleep. When we do sleep consultations at Apnée Santé, people tell us all the time about how hard it is for them to remain energetic, alert and focused. After dragging themselves up in the morning, they spend the day with one thought stuck on repeat: “I wanna go back to bed…”

Tired man lies in bed with insomnia, with alarm clock in foreground

It starts with good sleep

When you’re sleep deprived, just getting through the basics can seem like climbing a mountain. Everything seems harder: focusing on work, getting the kids off to school without stress, keeping the house clean, I don’t know, brushing your teeth…

When even the little things get hard, regular physical activity becomes mission impossible.

Sleep Apnea puts you in this position by robbing you of the sleep you need. You suffer breathing interruptions whenever you’re asleep, and your body alerts slightly to restart the breathing cycle, often dozens of times an hour! With OSA you rarely “alert” enough to wake all the way up, but you also never fully enter longer-term restorative sleep, which means no matter how many hours you spend in bed you get up feeling like you’ve barely slept.

Continuous Positive Air Pressure (CPAP) therapy helps ensure stable breathing, so your sleep is actually restorative. After a few weeks of adapting to the device, sleep improves dramatically.

tired man sitting on his bed with a concerned partner behind him

Ok, so boring mechanical stuff aside, what’s the real result?

Suddenly you’ll find your daily energy has returned, like an old friend you forgot you were missing.

And when your energy comes back so do other things: it’s common for people who’ve started CPAP therapy to start paying more attention to their overall health.

Woman waking up, well rested

Turns out, exercise is good for you

Obvious statement alert: daily activity helps maintain good physical and mental health.

We all know this, right? But really, whether you’re pushing your limits at the gym, zenning out with some yoga, running like crazy on the tennis court or tending a bed of flowers, keeping active every day will contribute to your overall health.

It’s hard to do any of those things if you’re walking around like a zombie all day, but once your sleep is in order, regular physical activity motivates you to eat better, helps you think better, and yes, makes you sleep better.

Woman stretching to get ready to exercise

Get active to get to sleep

See what happened there? You sleep better, so you feel like getting more active, which helps you sleep better! But how does it work?

According to Charlene Gamaldo, M.D., medical director at the Johns Hopkins Center for Sleep, “We have solid evidence that exercise does, in fact, help you fall asleep more quickly and improves sleep quality.”1

Exercise helps you stabilize your mood and decompress. It also releases endorphins and raises your core temperature – as both of these come back down following exercise, it signals the brain that it’s time to sleep.

What’s more, it doesn’t even take much. Just 30 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise can help you see a difference in sleep quality that same night, so the benefits come right away. Says Gamaldo, “Patients don’t need to feel like they have to train for the Boston Marathon to become a better sleeper.”

couple morning

Isn’t all that exercise going to stress my body?

Yes. But the quality sleep that got you back into sports will be your best ally.

According to Chrisitie Aschwanden, author of Good to Go and authority on sports recovery, “Sleep is when your body repairs the damage you’ve done during the day. While you sleep, hormones involved in tissue repair, like testosterone and human growth hormone, kick into high gear.”2

So the more you sleep, the more energy you have to exercise, which means you are able to sleep better, which helps your body recover for the next day… and on the cycle goes.

couple jogging

Stay active, and rested, for a long and healthy life

Better sleep and a more active lifestyle go together like a happy couple.

Along with good nutrition, sleep and exercise are critical pillars to support your overall health, happiness and wellbeing. At Apnée Santé we know all about how that works, and thanks to our Care For Life program, I’m here to discuss any questions you might have. So see you soon to share our passion for sports, and for a good night’s sleep!

Apnée Santé Team

References:

  1. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/exercising-for-better-sleep
  2. https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2019/02/18/how-important-is-sleep-for-exercise-recovery/#49292a2441ad
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Alcohol and apnea: a risky mix

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Alcohol and sleep make for strange bedfellows at the best of times.

While having a drink (or three) before bed can relax your muscles and indeed lead to falling asleep faster, in reality your body is not achieving restorative sleep when you’ve been drinking.

Even if we aren’t talking about enough alcohol to land you with a head-ringing hangover the next day, your nighttime celebration alters your sleeping brain wave patterns,1 so even if you’re in bed “sleeping” for several hours, you’ll likely feel tired the next morning. Add Obstructive Sleep Apnea to the mix, and you are going to pay a heavier price than you may have bargained for when you accepted that last round at the end of the night.

How does alcohol make us snore?

Alcohol is a depressant that causes muscle relaxation. While you sleep, the muscles of your throat relax, your tongue falls backward, and your throat becomes narrow.  What you hear as snoring is simply the vibration of the throat tissues as you breathe. The narrower your airway becomes, the greater the vibration and the louder your snoring.  For this reason, even people who don’t suffer from OSA are likely to saw logs during sleep.

man sleeping with his mouth open

Faster sleep doesn’t mean better sleep

Using a CPAP machine can help sufferers of OSA get a much better night’s sleep, but sometimes settling down at bedtime can be a problem for anyone. When you drink alcohol, you may fall asleep hard and fast, but alcohol will only exacerbate your sleep apnea, essentially doubling down on your sleep disruption.  Drinking alcohol can actually increase the apnea events and their duration, and you’re likely to feel the symptoms in the morning.

As mentioned above, one  of the effects of alcohol is to cause muscle relaxation. If you remember what they told you when you first sought treatment for OSA, it all begins with relaxation of the muscles of the soft palate, which then descends to block your airway and cause repeated micro-waking events throughout the night.

You don’t usually notice it, but you’re actually being robbed of restorative REM sleep and that’s why you awaken feeling as though you were up half the night. Muscle relaxation caused by alcohol has the same effect, even on people without OSA,2 so combining the two means you’re in for a rough morning.

how alcohol affects your sleep 1

Apnea never sleeps

If you regularly use a CPAP machine, having had a few drinks is no reason to take a “night off” and flop into your bed with the mask hanging beside you like an awkward wallflower at a party. For most patients who have adapted to sleeping with a CPAP machine, the restfulness it brings makes it a cherished companion they wouldn’t want to do without. For some though, early struggles to get used to the machine may leave a lingering resistance, even if they know that regular use is better for them. That’s completely normal.

The trouble with “tying one on” is that it can lead to questionable decision making, and the decision to leave the mask hanging after you’ve had a few is definitely not a good one. You can take a break from treatment, but your apnea won’t – so if you’ve already impaired your sleep cycle with drinking, do yourself a favour and at least make sure you’re getting the assistance of your CPAP while you sleep it off.

dame dort avec son masque CPAP à côté d'elle

Limit your intake

Numerous studies, going back to the 1980s, have clearly established the ways that alcohol can worsen sleep apnea.3

Even without the science, ever since the stone age humans discovered that drinking the funny-tasting grape juice made them feel good, we’ve known that there’s a price to pay for drinking. If you’re planning a night that might include alcoholic beverages, consider planning to cut yourself off after a fixed number so you don’t over-indulge.

deux hommes habillés en lutins dorment dans un bar

Allowing time for alcohol to wear off before bed

It takes time for your body to metabolise alcohol so it’s best to Quit while you’re ahead. There’s really no way around it. Even one or two drinks before bed are enough to throw off your sleep cycle, so the tradition of the nightcap was clearly invented by someone who didn’t understand the value of a good night’s sleep.

To avoid disruption, consider giving yourself a “last call” a few hours before you hit the sack. It varies based on weight and gender, but as a general rule it takes about an hour to process one unit of alcohol (it doesn’t matter if that means a beer, a glass of wine, or a shot of tequila) so try to give yourself 2-3 hours between your last drink and bedtime.4 You’ll be thanking yourself in the morning.

dame endormi avec un verre de vin vide dans les mains

Tempering alcohol with water

There’s an old expression about mixing types of alcohol that goes something like, “beer then liquor, makes you sicker, liquor then beer in the clear.”

While that might have some merit with regards to impulse control and the temptation to drink faster if you’re piling on shots at the end of the night, it doesn’t really help when it comes to your ability to get restorative sleep. Alcohol is alcohol as far as your brain and body are concerned. One trick is to alternate water or some other (non-sugary or caffeinated) drink between each alcoholic one. Call it, “water between booze, helps you snooze.”

It’ll not only help you stay at the party without embarrassing yourself, but it will also mean that your overall consumption is lowered so you’ll be better off when you call it a night. Just be careful not think you can carry this trick to the extreme and balance out a bender with a giant jug of water – that much consumption of any liquid before bed is likely to mean you’re waking up for a different reason.

de l'eau qui se fait verser dans un verre

Balance is key

There’s nothing wrong with having a few drinks with friends from time to time. The trouble with alcohol is it can easily fool you into thinking that you’re sleeping better because you fall asleep faster, when in fact the opposite is true. Because of the allure of falling asleep quickly when you’re regularly tired, many people succumb to the trap of “self medicating” with a drink or two before bedtime, which in the long term will not only rob you of rest but can also lead to alcohol dependence.

If you choose to drink that’s fine, but doing so in moderation, stopping early, and making sure to always use your CPAP will greatly improve your quality of sleep. And remember that if you’re struggling with sleep habits or the use of your CPAP machine, the team at Apnée Santé is always there to help.

drinking with friends

If you are a habitual drinker with OSA, consider using Auto-CPAP

Probably the most important thing you can do after drinking a few glasses is to use an Auto-CPAP machine. Why is this? As your muscle tissue relaxes, an increase in pressure may be needed to keep your airway open. An auto CPAP machine can detect variations in airflow and self-adjust as need be so that you get optimal air pressure throughout the night. If you’re in a fixed pressure, your CPAP is set to a constant pressure that reflects a typical night’s sleep and not a night affected by alcohol.

You should also keep in mind the importance of setting up your continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) under typical sleeping conditions. Therefore, if you drink alcohol daily but abstain prior to your sleep study, the pressure may not be adequate to maintain your airway when you drink.

To maximize your response to therapy, let us check verify that your CPAP is delivering the right pressure for your needs.

un verre et une bouteille de vin sur une table de nuit à côté d'une machine CPAP

  1. https://www.sleepfoundation.org/articles/how-alcohol-affects-quality-and-quantity-sleep
  2. https://www.sleepfoundation.org/articles/how-alcohol-affects-quality-and-quantity-sleep
  3. https://www.atsjournals.org/doi/abs/10.1164/arrd.1985.132.6.1238
  4. https://www.verywellhealth.com/wait-between-alcohol-sleep-3014979
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Sleep apnea may be a surprising symptom of menopause

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October is Menopause Awareness Month.

Menopause is a time of major hormonal, physical and psychological change for women, although menopausal symptoms vary from one woman to another.
Women enter menopause around the age of 50, and during the transition they can encounter a multitude of different symptoms such as hot flashes, headaches, fatigue, and mood swings and surprisingly, even sleep apnea.

Menopause can cause sleepless nights

During the perimenopause, or transition phase, a woman’s ovaries gradually (over several years) decrease production of estrogen and progesterone. One year after menstrual periods have stopped, a woman is considered to have reached menopause – and from peri-menopause to post-menopause, women report an increased rate of symptoms that interfere with sleep. Most notably, these include hot flashes, which are unexpected feelings of heat all over the body accompanied by sweating. They usually begin near the face and spread to the chest, affecting 75-85% of women around menopause.

Hot flashes can interrupt sleep and last on average three minutes, leading to less sleep efficiency. Most women experience these for a year, but about 25% have hot flashes for five years. While total sleep time may not suffer, sleep quality does. Interrupted sleep and frequent awakenings cause next-day fatigue.

Other symptoms of menopause include mood disorders, insomnia, and sleep-disordered breathing; sleep problems are often accompanied by depression and anxiety. Generally, post-menopausal women are less satisfied with their sleep and as many as 61% report insomnia symptoms. Snoring has also been found to be more common and severe in post-menopausal women. Snoring, along with pauses or gasps in breathing are signs of a more serious sleep disorder, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

woman staring at her alarm clock in the middle of the night

What’s OSA?

  • In obstructive sleep apnea the airway becomes blocked (obstructed) during sleep, which causes a pause in breathing.
  • When we stop breathing our oxygen levels drop, which triggers the brain to tell us to wake up and breathe.
  • However, we don’t wake up completely (these sleep interruptions are called “micro-arousals”).
  • It’s these micro-arousals that disrupt our sleep architecture and cause us to wake up in the morning feeling as if we haven’t slept a wink.

Woman sleeping with mouth open

Sleep apnea and menopause: What’s the connection?

According to The National Sleep Foundation, “During menopause, levels of the hormones estrogen and progesterone decrease in women’s bodies. These hormones act as stimulants and play a role in keeping airways open by maintaining muscle tone in the throat. As they decrease, the chances of obstructed breathing rise. What’s more, hormonal changes can lead to weight gain and a redistribution of body fat, sending more fat to the throat area, which can cause disrupted breathing.”

This weight gain can also cause snoring.  According to statistics, snoring affects 3% of women before menopause and 11% after menopause1. An American study examined 2,852 post menopausal women to asses whether sleep apnea was more common in women who were not treated with Menopausal Hormonal Therapy (MHT) than those who did. In this study, MHT is associated with a significant decrease in the frequency of sleep apnea.  Researchers found that patients receiving replacement therapy were able to reduce the severity of their apnea; however, it did not eliminate it.2

Sleep apnea is a risk factor in cardiovascular disease.  In women, its frequency increases at the time of menopause.  A study published in France in 2017 studied obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in postmenopausal women with a high risk of cardiovascular disease.  The 2 year study included 91 menopausal patients hospitalized at Lille University Hospital for cardiovascular disease.  All these patients had a screening test for OSA and 73% of them had sleep apnea.3

Tired woman driving car

So what should you do if you’re past menopause, you snore, and you suspect sleep apnea?

The first step is to get tested for sleep apnea. If you have OSA symptoms and feel that your sleep is not restful, it’s important to talk to your doctor about it. Apnea Health offers simple, fast and effective home testing. You can also contact us for a free evaluation to see if sleep testing is right for you.

If the test shows you have sleep apnea, you’ll most likely be prescribed a continuous positive air pressure (CPAP) device. CPAP is the most effective treatment for OSA. Thousands of Canadians use it every time they sleep. CPAP consists of a gentle stream of air that is directed through the airway during sleep, allowing the airway to remain open, and therefore preventing apnea.

Treating your sleep apnea can reduce other health risks, too, from impaired memory to weight gain.

Respiratory therapist with smiling patient

Additional tips for restful sleep

  • Eat healthy. Avoid large meals, especially before bedtime. Maintain a regular, normal weight. Some foods that are spicy or acidic may trigger hot flashes. Try foods rich in soy as they might minimize hot flashes.
  • Avoid nicotine, caffeine and alcohol, especially before bedtime.
  • Dress in lightweight clothes to improve sleep efficiency. Avoid heavy, insulating blankets and consider using a fan or air conditioning to cool the air and increase circulation.
  • Reduce stress and worry as much as possible. Try relaxation techniques, massage and exercise. Talk to a behavioral health professional if you are depressed, anxious or having problems.
  • Create a schedule and avoid naps. Establishing a schedule will make it easier to fall asleep the same time every night, and napping could make it harder to get to sleep.
  • Create a controlled sleeping environment. Your bedroom should be cool and dark to promote the bed sleep possible, invest in a fan or sleep mask if necessary.
  • Don’t exercise before bed. It is important to maintain a healthy lifestyle through exercise, but try to fit your workout in earlier in the day.

Woman stretching to get ready to exercise

Better sleep, better life

Women are underdiagnosed for sleep apnea across the country and around the world.  To improve your sleep and your life, call Apnea Health today!  Proper diagnosis and treatment can make you more successful at home, at work or wherever your life’s focus is.

woman sleeping peacefully

Sources:

  1. Menopausal status and sleep-disordered breathing in the Wisconsin Sleep Cohort Study. American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine. Young. 2003. 1;167(9):1181-5  S,
  2. Hormone replacement therapy and sleep-disordered breathing. Shahar. American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine. Mai 2003. 1;167(9):1186-92
  3. Souad Sedir,Claire Mounier Vehier Christelle CharleyMonaca: Science direct, Médecine du sommeil, Volume 14, Issue, Mars 2017, page 21, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1769449317300109
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High blood pressure and sleep apnea: you can’t afford to ignore the link anymore.

It’s crazy to think how much more information exists now about sleep apnea than just 30 years ago.

About 30 years ago was when my dad had his first heart attack, related to high blood pressure.

A second heart attack brought home the severity of his condition, and while he was treated with medication, this was around the time that information was starting to make itself known in the medical industry regarding sleep apnea.

He had a home sleep test and it was determined he had severe Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). We now know about the direct link between high blood pressure and sleep apnea.

Thankfully, at the age of 82, my dad has not suffered any further heart attacks, and according to a recent visit with his cardiologist, things are under control.

What exactly is OSA?

Obstructive Sleep Apnea is a condition that affects one in twenty people in Quebec.

Unconscious breathing interruptions cause sufferers to experience drops in oxygen levels to the brain, which makes the body “wake up” in order to start breathing again. When this happens, the patient will have a sudden, snore-like deep inhalation, usually without achieving full wakefulness, and then settle back into a normal breathing pattern.

These disturbances can happen dozens of times per hour. While it normally doesn’t result in conscious awareness, it severely hampers normal, rejuvenating sleep and will leave the sufferer feeling tired the next day even if they had a full night in bed.

The health consequences of this can include grogginess, headaches, weight gain, low sex drive, memory problems and high blood pressure.

Diagram of the effects of sleep apnea

How common is high blood pressure?

According to a report released by Statistics Canada in February 2019, nearly one-quarter of Canadian men (24%) and women (23%) have hypertension. “Hypertension is the leading modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease and is the leading risk factor for death worldwide. ”1

Long established risk factors for high blood pressure include obesity, smoking, poor diet or a sedentary lifestyle. What’s less commonly known as a risk factor is OSA, but according to multiple studies there is a clear link between OSA and high blood pressure.

high blood pressure test

What’s the link between OSA and high blood pressure?

In an article published in the European Respiratory Journal, there is a clear link shown between OSA and hypertension.

Citing a study of over 12,000 patients, the author, R. Doug McEvoy, concludes that the results are, “clear cut and add to the growing body of evidence implicating OSA as a cause of hypertension”2.

McEvoy points out that OSA events cause blood pressure surges at night, but also result in changes to the body that increase blood pressure during the day.

guy snoring hbp

What can be done about it?

A key point in the StatsCan health report is that hypertension is a modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease: it can be combated.

Diet, exercise and quitting smoking are certainly important, but so is getting a good night’s sleep.

Continuous Positive Air Pressure (CPAP) therapy is the leading treatment for OSA.

According to a study published in The New England Journal of Medicine, “in patients with cardiovascular disease or multiple cardiovascular risk factors, the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea with CPAP… resulted in a significant reduction in blood pressure.”3

guy cpap

The first step is to get tested for sleep apnea.

If you have OSA symptoms and feel that your sleep is not restful, it’s important to talk to your doctor about it.

Apnea Health offers simple, fast and effective home testing. You can also contact us for a free evaluation to see if sleep testing is right for you.

Here’s a checklist to review with your doctor for signs of sleep apnea.

  • Loud snoring
  • Occasionally waking up during the night feeling that you’re choking or gasping
  • Restless sleep
  • Having a sore or dry throat in the morning
  • Having a headache in the morning
  • Sleepiness, low energy or fatigue during the day
  • Feeling sleepy behind the wheel
  • Weight gain
  • Erectile dysfunction
  • Forgetfulness, mood changes, and a decreased interest in sex

a checklist

References:

  1. Health Reports: Blood pressure, hypertension and leading risk factors, Statscan
  2. R. Doug McEvoy, Obstructive sleep apnoea and hypertension: the ESADA study, European Respiratory Journal 2014 44: 835-83 ERS
  3. Gottlieb DJ, et al., CPAP versus oxygen in obstructive sleep apnea, N Engl J Med. 2014 Jun 12;370(24):2276-85 NCBI
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The hidden link between snoring and low sex drive? Sleep apnea

A snoring partner can mean sleepless nights for both members of a couple – and that can lead to irritability and impatience the next morning.

After a long day you both feel even more tired, which is not a good start to a romantic evening. Even when the stars do align, sometimes the body isn’t willing!

What if you could get a good night’s sleep and overcome erectile dysfunction – without drugs?

If you are one of the many Canadians with sleep apnea, there is a trusted answer that can address these, and other, health issues. Read on to find out more!

What is sleep apnea?

If you feel tired and/or sleepy all the time, or if you’ve been told you snore or stop breathing during your sleep, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) may be the cause.

Here’s what happens:

  • The airway becomes blocked (obstructed) during sleep, which causes a pause in breathing.
  • When we stop breathing our oxygen levels drop, which triggers the brain to tell us to wake up and breathe. However, we don’t wake up completely (these sleep interruptions are called “micro-arousals”).
  • It’s these micro-arousals that disrupt our sleep architecture and cause us to wake up in the morning feeling as if we haven’t slept a wink.

Diagram of the effects of sleep apnea

How does sleep apnea cause snoring?

Snoring is the sound that is made when you try to breathe in while your airway is obstructed.

Some people with sleep apnea may make a choking or gasping sound, while others experience silent breathing pauses as they try to inhale.

The common factor is that oxygen isn’t getting through to the brain.

A couple lying in bed, facing away from eachother

Is sleep apnea coming between you and your partner?

For couples, the loud snoring and restless sleep caused by OSA can lead to less quality time in the bedroom.

This is because one partner suffers through the noise while the other remains restless all night long.

On top of that, studies have shown that sleep apnea can actually cause erectile dysfunction in men – and women with sleep apnea have lower libido, too!

Snoring man in bed with his angry partner

The proven link between sleep apnea and erectile dysfunction

Long before the “little blue pill” came along, researchers knew that sleep apnea could cause erectile dysfunction (ED).

Some scientists have reported decreased testosterone in men with sleep apnea, but other problems related to OSA (including depression and decreased alertness) may also play a role.

The connection has been known since 1977 – and the good news is, there’s a drug-free treatment that just might help.

tired man with wife

If I have OSA, are there other benefits of CPAP treatment?

The benefits of CPAP treatment go far beyond improving your love life.

According to Dr. Timothy Morgenthaler³, President of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (2017), “Obstructive sleep apnea is a destructive disease that can ruin your health and increase your risk of death,” creating health hazards that include high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, obesity and type 2 diabetes.

Through treatment with CPAP, all of these hazards can be reduced. Now, that’s good news for you and your partner!

According to researchers, this might be your most effective pleasure-enhancing device!

Doctor using a blood pressure device on a patient

Treating sleep apnea can improve libido for women, too

We know that OSA can cause sexual difficulties for men – but sleep apnea can also be a turn-off for women! Fortunately, treatment with CPAP can help rekindle the flame. In a study published in 2018, the researchers reported that women using CPAP experienced a greater improvement in sexual quality of life compared to those who didn’t.² So if you’re a woman who snores, why wait to get tested? CPAP might spark a positive change in your bedroom habits!

Resmed AirSense 10 CPAP machine with slimline tubing

How CPAP treatment can tame OSA and improve your love life

The first step is to get tested for sleep apnea. If you have OSA symptoms and feel that your sleep is not restful, it’s important to talk to your doctor about it.

Apnée Santé offers simple, fast and effective home testing. You can also contact us for a free evaluation to see if sleep testing is right for you.

Here’s a checklist to review with your doctor for signs of sleep apnea.

  • Loud snoring
  • Occasionally waking up during the night feeling that you’re choking or gasping
  • Restless sleep
  • Having a sore or dry throat in the morning
  • Having a headache in the morning
  • Sleepiness, low energy or fatigue during the day
  • Feeling sleepy behind the wheel
  • Weight gain
  • Erectile dysfunction
  • Forgetfulness, mood changes, and a decreased interest in sex

a checklist

Related links

  1. Taskin U, Yigit O, Acioglu E et al. Int J Impotence Res 2010;22:134-139.
  2. Jara SM, Hopp ML, Weaver EM. JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2018;144(7):587-593.
  3. Accessed at https://aasm.org/brain-damage-caused-by-severe-sleep-apnea-is-reversible/ on Aug. 7, 2019
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How to lose weight and sleep better at the same time

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Have you ever noticed that when you are tired you eat more?

You may even feel ravenous and spend your day grazing the office freebies in the kitchenette. Your portions may be getting larger and the number of times you eat during the day may be increasing in an attempt to get more energy and combat fatigue.

Rest assured this is not your fault! It is not a lack of willpower. The answer may lie in your sleep and sleep apnea may be the culprit responsible for your weight gain.

Why do we pack on the pounds when we are sleep deprived?

When we’re sleep deprived, the hormones that control hunger and appetite start sending out faulty messages.

There are four hormones that control hunger and appetite:

  • Ghrelin tells the body to eat
  • Leptin tells it to stop eating
  • Cortisol makes us crave sugary foods when we’re stressed
  • Insulin stores calories

When we’re short on sleep, we produce more ghrelin (making us want to eat) and less leptin (the hormone that tells us to stop). On top of that, we produce more cortisol due to the stress caused by lack of sleep, so we crave sugary foods. And we produce extra insulin, which leads the body to store glucose in fat cells . . . so we gain weight.

It’s no wonder that as much as we might try, if we’re lacking sleep, we will invariably turn to food. We simply cannot combat the signals our bodies are sending us. Moreover, with an increasing amount of cortisol, we’re likely to give in to junk food cravings.

tired woman eating pizza on couch

Sleep apnea and weight gain: a vicious cycle

Here’s what happens:

  • In obstructive sleep apnea the airway becomes blocked (obstructed) during sleep, which causes a pause in breathing.
  • When we stop breathing our oxygen levels drop, which triggers the brain to tell us to wake up and breathe.
  • However, we don’t wake up completely (these sleep interruptions are called “micro-arousals”).
  • It’s these micro-arousals that disrupt our sleep architecture and cause us to wake up in the morning feeling as if we haven’t slept a wink.

Gaining weight can cause us to sleep less and sleeping less can make us eat more! This vicious cycle can turn into a nightmare.

But there is hope: The cycle can be broken, starting with a proper night’s sleep. And the good news is Apnea Health can help you achieve a good night’s rest.

A continual cycle that shows that sleep apnea leads to poor sleep which leads to increased hunger hormones which weight gain. After that, the process repeats.

How to break the cycle

The first step is to get tested for sleep apnea.

If you have OSA symptoms and feel that your sleep is not restful, it’s important to talk to your doctor about it.

Apnea Health offers simple, fast and effective home testing. You can also contact us for a free evaluation to see if sleep testing is right for you.

Here’s a checklist to review with your doctor for signs of sleep apnea.

  • Loud snoring
  • Occasionally waking up during the night feeling that you’re choking or gasping
  • Restless sleep
  • Having a sore or dry throat in the morning
  • Having a headache in the morning
  • Sleepiness, low energy or fatigue during the day
  • Feeling sleepy behind the wheel
  • Weight gain
  • Erectile dysfunction
  • Forgetfulness, mood changes, and a decreased interest in sex

a checklist

Will CPAP treatment help with weight loss?

Yes! A three-month study of CPAP users published in the New England Journal of Medicine showed a marked reduction in body mass index, as well as a mild to moderate decrease in blood pressure and cholesterol levels 1.

That’s three good reasons for people with sleep apnea to use their CPAP device every night!

 

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Is it okay to stop CPAP treatment after losing weight?

Treating sleep apnea and restoring sleep will obviously have an impact on your health and weight. You’ll stop feeling drowsy and fatigued. You’ll want to be more active, and with your new energy you might take up exercise, which will support your weight loss. And, of course, your hunger hormones will work normally.

Still, even if you snore less and feel you no longer suffer from sleep apnea, you should never stop CPAP without checking with a sleep medicine specialist first. That’s because there is no 100% guarantee that your sleep apnea will be completely eliminated.

Although being overweight is a cause of sleep apnea, sometimes other factors are present too – such as ear, nose and throat abnormalities (including nasal obstruction, tonsillar hypertrophy, large tongue base, elongated uvula or palate), or facial abnormalities. If these factors are present, sleep apnea will not necessarily disappear with weight loss.

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So you’ve lost that extra weight. What next?

After you’ve lost weight, it’s a good idea to visit your sleep clinic. It’s possible that the pressure setting on your CPAP machine will need adjustment because your airway has become less restricted.

After that, start thinking about other healthy lifestyle changes! With cravings under control, you can take the time to make nutritious meals. The extra energy you get from being well-rested can help you get a good workout, either outdoors or in the gym. You’ll find that with the help of Apnea Health, a whole new outlook begins with a good night’s sleep!

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1 Rishi, Muhammad Adeel MD et al. Effect of Positive Airway Pressure Therapy on Body Mass Index in Obese Patients With Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome: A Prospective Study. American Journal of Therapeutics: March/April 2016 – Volume 23 – Issue 2 – p 422–428

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