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Does bodyweight influence sleep?

Obstructive sleep apnea is a chronic disorder where a person stops breathing multiple times throughout the night. Breath cessation may last up to approximately 30 seconds and can occur around a hundred times each night in severe cases. Gasping, snorting, or choking may occur when attempting to re-start breathing.

Sleep apnea has many causes, and excess body weight is one of them. People who are overweight, especially people who are obese, are at a higher risk of developing sleep apnea. This risk is even higher when there is excess fat in the neck area.

Each time breathing stops, the body awakens, and these awakenings may or may not be remembered in the morning. These frequent arousals lead to decreased total sleep time, decreased deep sleep, and increased daytime sleepiness. Obstructive sleep apnea is a chronic disorder in which sleep is not restful or restorative, leading to excess daytime sleepiness. Daytime fatigue can negatively impact quality of life and could lead to decreased productivity at work or even more severe consequences such as falling asleep while driving. Chronic fatigue may also cause irritability, increased forgetfulness, or even symptoms of depression.

Other symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea include frequent awakening, gasping for breath in the middle of the night, sweating at night, dry mouth and throat, and morning headaches. Chronic, severe obstructive sleep apnea will not only cause these symptoms, but may lead to additional health problems such as cardiovascular disease and stroke.

Part of the diagnostic workup for obstructive sleep apnea is a sleep study. A polysomnogram or sleep study uses a computerized recording of your brain and cardiovascuaascular activity to asses your sleep patterns. Traditionally, sleep studies were performed in hospital or storefront sleep “labs.” It is often very difficult to sleep comfortably in these situations. In order to create an environment to allow for comfortable, natural sleep, Sleep Diagnostics has based their testing sites in luxurious hotel suites. Checking into a comfortable hotel creates a secure, relaxed atmosphere essential for a good nights sleep. As part of the study, you are entitled to enjoy the hotel facilities. The rooms are designed so that data collection goes through a computer port directly to the technician’s suite. Crown Plazas in Chicago and throughout the suburbs make the sleep apnea test for Chicago residents easy to arrange and convenient.

Dr. Michael Friedman at the Advanced Center for Specialty Care is an ear, nose, and throat physician who is an expert in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with obstructive sleep apnea. He has developed and studies many of the best therapies for sleep apnea. In patients who are overweight, a natural remedy for snoring and sleep apnea can be weight loss. If weight loss does not resolve the problem, or if additional treatment is needed in addition to weight loss, he can offer many non-surgical and surgical treatment options.
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