How Weight Gain Can Affect Your Sleep – for the Worse

Here’s a surprising statistic that you probably aren’t expecting from your dentist – more than one-third of American adults are obese, while 32 percent are overweight. There are a number of health ramifications related to these stats, and if you are part of either of these groups, your sleep dentist is most concerned with the implications it has for how well you rest at night. Keep reading to learn about the link between weight gain and sleep apnea and how it might be affecting you. 

How Does Weight Gain Cause Sleep Apnea?

When you gain weight, you develop fat deposits on the neck which can place weight on the airway and make it more likely to constrict and collapse when someone sleeps. These blockages are characteristic of OSA, or obstructive sleep apnea. 

People with OSA can stop and start breathing hundreds of times per night, resulting in frequent interruptions in sleep that make it difficult to get quality shut eye. While you may not notice the effects of poor sleep right away, over time the deficit really adds up. Unfortunately, poor sleep can also make it more difficult to lose weight – which is a difficult cycle to break. 

Signs of Sleep Apnea Caused by Weight Gain

If you are dealing with the following symptoms and also are obese or overweight, you may have with sleep apnea:

• Loud, chronic snoring
• Frequent waking throughout the night, especially accompanied by a gasp or choking sound
• Chronic fatigue or difficulty staying awake during the day
• Difficulty concentrating during the day
• Memory loss
• Irritability

How to Get Better Sleep

When you seek professional help for sleep apnea, you can get the rest that you need, which can make it easier to start living a healthier life in general. Your specially trained sleep dentist can help you with one of two options:

• Oral appliance therapy: A small device that you wear while you sleep, similar to an athletic mouthguard, helps the airway stay open and prevents blockages while you sleep. 
• Combined therapy: Mixes CPAP, or continuous positive airway pressure, along with an oral appliance to reposition the jaw. This is the best of both worlds for patients with severe sleep apnea. 

Once you find a treatment that helps you sleep better at night, you will notice it is easier to concentrate on making better choices during the day for healthier living overall. Great rest may be the key for staying motivated, so don’t wait to get in touch with a sleep dentist for treatment for OSA! 

Meet the Practice

The experts at Covington Sleep Center, led by Dr. Stephen Dean, provide a number of treatment options for patients who are dealing with the exhausting effects of sleep apnea. From custom-made oral appliances to combined therapy with CPAP, this team helps patients suffering from snoring and poor sleep get the rest they need. To learn more or to book a visit, contact Covington Sleep Center through their website or call (770) 796-5774.