Will My Sleep Apnea Go Away If I Lose Weight

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Every night, millions of people miss out on countless hours of sleep due to sleep apnea—and to make matters worse, many more cases remain completely undiagnosed! But your rest isn’t the only thing at stake; if left untreated, sleep apnea can actually lead to some pretty serious health consequences! In order to avoid this, seeking sleep apnea therapy in Rocky Mount is your best bet, as the condition won’t simply vanish on its own. Keep reading to learn more about what causes sleep apnea and what you can do to manage your symptoms.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is one of the most common types of sleep apnea, and it’s characterized by blockage in the airway while you’re asleep. When it happens, your body is forced to wake up and normalize your breathing, causing you to miss out on much needed sleep and accumulate sleep debt. This blockage can be caused by a variety of different things, as there are many factors that can influence the airway—and it’s very often associated with chronic snoring! Some known possible causes include but aren’t limited to:

Can You Really Die From Sleep Apnea? Know The Facts (2023)

Unfortunately, sleep apnea is not something that will clear up on its own; human anatomy tends to remain fixed, especially after the teenage years. Even though the symptoms can be treated, usually with the help of oral appliances, CPAP machines, or other forms of sleep apnea therapy, the condition itself is chronic and cannot be cured entirely. This means that your best bet is mitigating the symptoms and making lifestyle changes to lessen its effect on you. It’s worth noting that children can sometimes be successfully cured of sleep apnea if it’s addressed early on, through means such as tonsil extraction or orthodontic therapy.

There are a few things you can do to help reduce the severity, or even the presence, of your sleep apnea symptoms. Consider the following:

Sleep apnea won’t go away on its own—but that doesn’t mean you’re totally helpless against it! Seeking treatment and taking steps to manage your symptoms will go a long way towards helping you get a great night’s sleep every night.

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Dr. Kevin Schrimper received his DDS from the University of North Carolina and has proudly served patients and families in the Rocky Mount community for over 25 years. His practice is pleased to offer a wide range of services including sleep apnea therapy. If you have any concerns about sleep apnea or would like to schedule an appointment, you can contact Dr. Schrimper’s practice online or over the phone for assistance: (252) 937-7878.We only recommend products in our blog that we recommend in our office. We may receive a small commission on some products but it does not change the price you pay (unless we offer you a money saving discount).

We’re all familiar with the adage “prevention is the best cure.” It’s a wise statement— but sometimes prevention isn’t always possible. Take for example, the dreaded cold and flu season. You wash your hands often, you avoid people who may be ill, and you take plenty of care not to get sick. Despite your valiant efforts, sometimes that seasonal bug just has a way of slipping through the cracks and making you sick. Unfortunately, at this point, there is no cure for the common cold— all you can really do is treat your symptoms to limit their effects.

Sleep apnea is no different. Despite continued research to understand the disorder and look for a cure, all we can do if we have the disorder is treat it so we can prevent further complications down the line.

Sleep Apnea: Types, Causes, Symptoms, Treatment, And More

No— sleep apnea cannot be cured. With all disorders big or small, we always hope that there is a cure for them so we can get back to living life the way we used to and feeling healthy again.

Unlike the many diseases that are preventable with vaccinations and herd immunity or can be cured with medication, sleep apnea is incurable for specific reasons that can vary from person to person.

Sleep apnea won’t go away on its own because it’s a condition caused by your anatomy. Unlike changing the appearance of your hair or changing up your wardrobe, you can’t alter your anatomy on a whim. Sleep apnea may also have genetic causes that can make you more likely to develop the disorder.

Can Sleep Apnea Go Away?

Generally, obesity can be controlled by a healthy lifestyle, a balanced diet, and regular moderate exercise. However, the other factors aren’t anything you have control over.

In the case of central sleep apnea, a different form of sleep apnea, that condition is a result of your brain misfiring signals to your airways, obstructing them while you sleep. Unfortunately, this sleep apnea trigger is hard-wired into your brain and can’t be easily altered. The same goes for complex sleep apnea— which is caused by both CSA’s misfires in the brain.

The most well-known treatment option for all forms of sleep apnea is CPAP therapy. CPAP, or continuous positive airway pressure, prevents breathing disruptions by gently unblocking your airways with a constant stream of pressurized air. This stream of air is delivered to your airway via your CPAP mask.

Could Sleep Apnea Be Taking Years Off Your Life?

CPAP treatment is the most well-known sleep apnea treatment because it’s the most effective. However, it only works as well as it can if you use it properly and stick to your treatment regimen.

Alternative therapies for sleep apnea like oral appliance therapy, BiPAP therapy, or sleep apnea surgery exist and could provide you with some much-needed relief from your sleep apnea symptoms.

However, it’s important to understand that alternatives to CPAP are only viable in very specific circumstances, such as in dangerously severe sleep apnea cases where CPAP therapy has failed.

Will Sleep Apnea Go Away Without Treatment?

If you’re not sure if your CPAP therapy is as effective as it should be, talk to your doctor or a sleep specialist. They can help you find a solution to make your CPAP treatment more effective or may even recommend an alternative if they think it may benefit you.

Remember, there is no cure for sleep apnea. Weight loss will not cure sleep apnea, but it can reduce the severity of your symptoms.

Obesity is one of the main risk factors for obstructive sleep apnea, and reducing your excess body weight can relieve some of the pressure placed on your airways each night, allowing you to breathe more easily and sleep better.

What Is Sleep Apnea? Info From Isleep

One study also found that obese patients with obstructive sleep apnea had significantly larger tongues and a higher percentage of tongue fat than obese patients that did not have OSA did. Researchers observed that participants that lost weight over time saw significant improvement in their sleep apnea symptoms.

One unexpected benefit to this weight loss was that these patients saw size reductions in certain jaw and throat muscles that also provided improvements to their sleep apnea symptoms. [1]

Even if you can’t cure sleep apnea, there are still ways to reduce the severity of your symptoms or your overall risk if you don’t have the disorder. While CPAP therapy is considered a necessary treatment for your sleep apnea, there are steps you can take to improve your sleep further. Here are our top five recommendations.

Will Sleep Apnea Go Away With Time?

Losing weight can help relieve the extra pressure around your lungs and airways, helping them stay more open while you sleep. A 10-15 percent weight loss for obese patients can reduce their OSA severity by 50 percent!

In addition to that, sticking to your CPAP therapy while following a healthy weight loss routine can result in even greater weight loss. [2]

Smoking can worsen a lot of health conditions— sleep apnea included. More research is needed to identify a solid link between smoking and sleep apnea, but those who smoke are more likely to have obstructive sleep apnea than people who have never smoked.

Can Sleep Apnea Be Cured?

The best way to prevent this is to kick the habit. While much easier said than done, even reducing your nicotine intake can help you breathe better immediately and sleep better in the long run.

Weight loss is not the only benefit you can reap with regular moderate exercise. Simply increasing your activity level can reduce your risk of developing sleep apnea.

One study found that participants who spent four or more hours daily watching TV had a 78 percent higher OSA risk, while those who worked sedentary jobs (such as desk jobs) had a 49 percent higher risk. On the other hand, more active participants had significantly lower sleep apnea risk than the other participants.

Will Sleep Apnea Go Away On Its Own?

You don’t even need to dive into intense workout regimens. Any increase in physical activity/reduction in sedentary hours can potentially reduce your sleep apnea risk. [3]

Loud snoring is probably the best-known symptom of obstructive sleep apnea. However, you can reduce or even eliminate that loud snoring with the right nose, mouth, and throat exercises.

These exercises can tone the floppy or protruding muscles in your airway contributing to your sleep apnea symptoms. They can also help open and strengthen your airway muscles so you can breathe more efficiently each night.

Will Obstructive Sleep Apnea Go Away By Itself?

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