Struggling with weight loss can be frustrating, but it is miserable when youre also tired all the time. For people with apnea, there is a scientific connection between weight gain and sleep loss.

Yes, sleep is necessary for not only mental focus and physical stamina but is essential to regulate your weight!

If you find it practically impossible to stop gaining weight then you might have a hidden sleep problem, such as apnea that is harming your body’s hormone levels and causing your weight gain.

Sleep apnea related weight gain is all too common. It is estimated that 80 million Americans live with undiagnosed sleep apnea today.

Trying to lose weight without treating your apnea is a losing battle. Your body needs deep sleep night after night to regulate healthy functions, maintain your metabolism and to lose weight.

If you have apnea and are not regularly using CPAP, then you are almost certainly going to gain weight.

Here’s some things to understand about the connection between apnea and weight gain:

1. When your body feels tired it automatically craves fuel in the form of sugar, carbohydrates and other foods with a high glycemic index. In a study published by the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, people with the most severe cases of sleep disorders also had the highest intake of calories, protein, cholesterol and saturated fat.

2. In a report from the Quebec Family Study, people who regularly only get five to six hours of sleep per night are 35% more likely to gain up to 11-pounds of fat over six years compared to a person who sleeps between seven to eight hours per night.

3. It turns out that the best appetite suppressant is a good night’s sleep. Poor quality sleep causes levels of the hormone ghrelin to severely increase in your gastrointestinal tract. This hormone is in charge of making you feel hungry. You increase your levels of ghrelin every time you get a bad night’s sleep.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea is the most common form of sleep apnea, affective millions of people each year. Essentially sleep apnea means that you top breathing temporarily while you are asleep. Your body wakes you up so that you can start to breath again, but then you fall asleep and it begins all over. The sleep apnea sufferer isn’t even aware this cycle is happening.

These apneas are brought about because the muscles in the back of the throat actually collapse and close off the airway. Symptoms while sleeping include very loud snoring, followed by silence then choking or gasping for air. Needless to say OSA sufferers do not have a very restful sleep.

Those who suffer from sleep apnea have a significantly lowered quality of life. They are extremely tired during the day and consequently less productive. They suffer from headaches and poor memory. Getting a good night’s sleep is critical to a healthy mind and body and sleep apnea robs you of that.

During the periods of apnea or when the patient isn’t breathing their body’s oxygen levels can dip critically low. This presents a serious health risk including an increased chance of heart disease and stroke. It is important to seek medical advice as soon as possible if you suspect you are afflicted.

Obesity is a frequent cause of obstructive sleep apnea however slender people can be affected as well. The excess fat in the neck can exacerbate the problem and contribute to the air passages closing. Physical deformities due to injury or birth defect can also lead to sleep apnea.

As far as sleep apnea remedies go, the most effective solution is a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure machine or CPAP for short. This is a machine that blows a steady stream of air into the patients nose or mouth via a mask. The pressure is set to prevent the airway from closing up so that the patient does not stop breathing. The apparatus can be a little awkward at first, but the improvement in the quality of life certainly makes up for it.

The health risks associated with untreated sleep apnea can not be overstated. It is very important that you go for a sleep study to obtain a conclusive diagnosis if you suspect you suffer from sleep apnea. Once it is known for sure, you and your doctor can explore the various sleep apnea cures and settle on one that is right for you.