“Correlation Between Obesity and Sleep Apnea”
When a person is diagnosed with
sleep apnea, there is a typical candidate that comes to mind -- someone that is
overweight. Why is that? What is the underlying correlation between sleep apnea
and obesity?
Lisa Shives, M.D., and founder
of Northshore Sleep Medicine in Illinois, recently wrote on CNN Health, “Sleep
deprivation due to poor sleep or too little sleep can cause hormonal havoc that
leads to weight gain. For example, when research subjects were allowed to sleep
for only four hours per night, the hormones that control appetite got all out
of whack. Letpin, which acts on the brain to make people feel full, was
abnormally decreased and ghrelin, which makes people hungry, was unusually
high.”
Leptin, a Greek word for thin,
is a hormone that plays a key role in regulating energy intake and energy
expenditure, including appetite and metabolism. When the body does not produce
enough Leptin, the body will never feel satisfied after a meal. On the other hand,
ghrelin is a hormone that stimulates your appetite, and tells your body that
you are hungry.
The vicious cycle of untreated
sleep apnea and weight gain is a never ending, dangerous spiral. Even with
logging in the proper number of sleep hours at night, sleep apnea suffers wake
up numerous times throughout the evening. Unfortunately, they never engage in the deeper
levels of sleep, like REM and Delta stages, where proper rest is attained.
When people with sleep apnea go
through their day feeling fatigued and drained, they are less inclined to
exercise and/or make healthy nutritional choices because they feel limited by
their lack of energy. Unfortunately, in this exhausted state, additional weight
is gained, which can increase the severity of the sleep apnea and result in
even more stressful, restless nights. People wake up feeling more
exhausted than before and the weight gain continues.
Unless sleep apnea is treated
and controlled, this cycle will continue throughout the lives of sleep apnea
patients. If you or a loved one is struggling with this vicious cycle, please
visit www.garyrhopperdds.com to make an appointment for a for free sleep evaluation.
(Blog provided by Sleep Group Solutions)
Remember... your health matters. Contact us today.
Gary R. Hopper D.D.S.
1102 E. Morton Pl.
Hemet, CA 92543
951.925.2318
