Does Sleep Apnoea Cause Weight Gain?

Yes, sleep apnoea can cause weight gain. According to various experts, sleep apnoea is something that can affect more than just your sleep, which you may have already noticed. Sleep apnoea can also cause weight gain and prevent you from losing weight.

Sleep apnoea is a severe sleep disorder that can cause a disrupted breathing pattern when you are asleep. Some of the signs and symptoms of this condition can include snoring and gasping for air when you are asleep. This sleep disorder is known to affect around 25% of men and around 10% of women. We are going to be looking at the relationship between sleep apnoea and weight gain below.

Why Does Sleep Apnoea Cause Weight Gain?

There are lots of things that could explain why your sleep apnoea is causing you to gain weight, and we are going to explore some of the main reasons why this can happen below.

Restricted Sleep Can Increase Your Appetite

One reason why sleep apnoea can lead to weight gain has to do with two hormones that are called ghrelin and leptin. Leptin is supposed to decrease your appetite, whereas ghrelin is supposed to increase it.

People that have sleep apnoea are known to have higher ghrelin levels, and this is the hormone that makes you feel hungry. They also have lower leptin levels, which is the hormone that makes you feel full. This means that people with sleep apnoea are much more likely to feel hungry and consume more calories.

It is actually known that leptin resistance is often found in people that are obese, which can lead them to intake excessive calories and struggle to lose any weight. As well as this, decreased levels of ghrelin are often seen in obese individuals, but the relationship between these hormones and sleep apnoea is something that is still being studied.

Sleep Loss Can Make it Harder to Lose Weight

According to experts, adults that are between the ages of 18 and 60 will need at least 7 hours of sleep per night. If you are not getting enough sleep, it can affect your overall ability to lose weight. The sleep loss that comes along with sleep apnoea can also reduce your body’s ability to lose weight efficiently.

Various studies have shown that even those placed on low-calorie diets will struggle to lose weight if they are sleep-deprived. They can lose up to 50% less weight from fat than individuals that were on the same diet but getting enough sleep.

Things like inconsistent sleep patterns and shortened sleep duration can make you much more unlikely to lose weight successfully. As well as this, a lack of sleep can lead to a diminished or lack of impulse control, junk food cravings, and feeling too tired to exercise. All of these things can make it much harder to feel motivated to lose weight.

Low-Energy and Chronic Fatigue

If you are not sleeping enough, or you are only getting interrupted sleep, it can easily leave you feeling exhausted throughout the day. If this is something that has been going on for quite some time, the impact of poor sleep on your energy levels is only going to get worse.

When we are experiencing low-energy levels, we tend to conserve the little energy that we have by only performing essential tasks, like eating or going to work. This often means that we avoid the non-essential tasks like going shopping or to the gym. This is something that can also lead to eating healthy foods out of convenience or sitting still for longer periods of time.

A Slower Metabolism

If you didn’t already know, your metabolism refers to the rate at which your body is able to burn the calories that you consume. When you are experiencing fatigue, your lifestyle tends to become less active, and you will expend fewer daily calories. Over time, this can lead to a drop in your metabolism, making it easier for you to gain weight, even if you are not increasing your calorie intake.

More Cravings and Less Willpower

Various things like a lack of energy, a slow metabolism, and hormone changes can create the perfect combination of weight gain factors. Something else to consider is the fact that when we are feeling tired, we are much more likely to crave foods that will give us a fast boost of energy. These foods are typically those that are full of carbs and high in sugar. If you are feeling exhausted, you might notice that your willpower isn’t as strong, which makes it harder to put any effort into making healthy choices.

Is Weight Gain Dangerous if You Have Sleep Apnoea?

Now that you know that sleep apnoea can lead to weight gain, you should also know that weight gain can make sleep apnoea symptoms worse. When people gain weight, they will also gain weight on their necks. The excess weight in this area can narrow your airway when you lie down.

The air will find it more difficult to squeeze through, and it often produces a snoring or wheezing sound. Obstructive sleep apnoea occurs when your airway is blocked when you are asleep, so the more narrow the airway is, the more likely you are to keep waking up in the night.

Sleep apnoea is also associated with an increased risk of various other health conditions, like type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure. These are both health conditions that have been linked to excess weight.

Can Treating Sleep Apnoea Help You to Lose Weight?

Yes, there is sufficient evidence to suggest that people that suffer from obstructive sleep apnoea can find it easier to lose weight if they are managing their condition with treatment. Many of the causes of weight gain with sleep apnoea can be improved through better sleep. So, treating your sleep apnoea can make it easier for you to lose weight.

One study even shows that ghrelin levels were higher in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea than people that don’t have this disorder. The levels of this hormone dropped after just two days of using CPAP treatment. It is not a guaranteed weight-loss method, but it can help you to better manage your weight.

However, there are also studies that show that long-term use of CPAP has been associated with weight gain. The reasoning behind this is unclear, and more research is needed to back up these claims. The relationship between weight gain and sleep apnoea is complex, which is why treatment should not be relied upon as the only means of weight control.

How is Weight Gain Linked to Sleep Apnoea?

While weight gain can be caused by sleep apnoea, being obese can also make you more likely to develop sleep apnoea. This means that the relationship between sleep apnoea and weight gain can go both ways.

When you gain weight, more tissue will form on or around the throat, which makes it more likely for apnoea events to occur. The extra weight makes it easier for the tissues in the soft palate to collapse, leading to an apnoea event. Gaining weight can also lead to an uneven distribution of fat in the neck and waist, which can contribute to the development of sleep apnoea. As well as this, an increased neck circumference can narrow the airway and lead to snoring and sleep apnoea.

Can Weight Loss Cure Sleep Apnoea?

Weight loss is unlikely to completely cure sleep apnoea, but it can make a huge positive difference in your symptoms. The first step to treating sleep apnoea will involve changing up your lifestyle and behavioural habits. More often than not, this will include working towards a healthy body weight, as weight loss will reduce the fatty deposits in the neck and tongue, making the airflow less restricted.

Weight loss will also cut down on abdominal fat, which can make your lungs bigger and give your airways more support. This makes it less likely that your airway will close while you sleep. Many of the symptoms of sleep apnea, like irritability, tiredness, and more, can even get better if you lose weight. Overall, weight loss of even just 10 to 15% can reduce the severity of obstructive sleep apnoea by half.