If you are obese, you know that carrying around extra weight has health consequences. You can feel it in your aching joints, stretched and itchy skin, and in your short breaths when going up the stairs. But did you know that obesity can also harm your quality of sleep?
What Is Obstructive Sleep Apnea?
Obstructive sleep apnea is a condition where the soft tissues at the back of the mouth and throat collapse during sleep, blocking the airway and disrupting sleep. The user is often unaware that they have it as they do not fully wake up each time their airway is blocked, but they still suffer from shallow and interrupted sleep, as well as blasts of the stress hormone cortisol as a result of the body feeling at risk.
Obesity and Sleep Apnea: Conditions That Fuel Each Other
Obesity enlarges the fat cells throughout the body. While you might focus more on those located in the stomach and thighs, this swelling of the cells is global, impacting all parts of the body—including the neck.
In the neck, there are fat cells that make up the pharyngeal fat. If you’ve ever wondered if being overweight can cause snoring, the answer is yes. When these fat cells are larger, they push the soft tissues of the mouth and throat closer together, allowing them to collapse onto each other. The individual then struggles to breathe, creating the sound that we often identify as snoring.
In this manner, obesity does cause sleep apnea. But remember what we said about cortisol? This stress hormone is produced in response to the body feeling like it is being deprived of air. As it turns out, cortisol encourages the body to hold on to excess fat, especially around the stomach. This means that once obesity causes sleep apnea to develop, the apnea fuels the obesity.
Breaking the Cycle
One way to break the cycle is through weight loss surgery in Tijuana. Just dieting and exercise can help, but because the two conditions perpetuate each other, sometimes a more significant intervention is needed. Losing weight does cure sleep apnea in those who have it due to enlarged fat cells.
However, it should be noted that sometimes, obstructive sleep apnea is not related to obesity, or at least that might not be the only cause of the condition. If someone suspects they have sleep apnea, they should consult with a sleep specialist before jumping into gastric sleeve surgery in Tijuana, Mexico as a cure.
With that said, if your sleep apnea is driven by obesity, don’t be afraid to make a change. To schedule your gastric bypass in Tijuana, Mexico, contact ALO Bariatrics today.
