If you struggle with your weight, chances are good you know those extra pounds put you at risk of health conditions like Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and coronary heart disease. But did you know it’s also directly linked to breathing problems and sleep apnea?
Fortunately, there’s good news. Losing as little as 10% of your body weight can improve your health and sleep apnea symptoms. And if you lose a significant amount of weight, you can even cure it entirely.
Dr. Chad Carlton has spent his prestigious career helping people improve their health by reaching and maintaining a healthy weight. He offers both nonsurgical and surgical weight loss solutions at LoneStar Bariatrics. However, if you have a significant amount of weight to lose, here’s how bariatric surgery could be the best option for treating sleep apnea.
Sleep apnea comes in different forms, but the “apnea” portion of the disorder always describes the same thing: stops and starts in your breathing while you sleep. These stoppages vary in severity, with extreme cases occurring 30 or more times each night. And each time they do, they reduce the amount of oxygen in your blood.
The lack of oxygen from sleep apnea puts a dangerous strain on your body. Every time your oxygen supply drops, it triggers the “fight or flight” response, increasing your heart rate and blood pressure. This wakes you up, and your airway reopens.
When this cycle repeats itself over and over throughout the night, it increases inflammation and stress on the body, raising your risk of numerous health complications, such as:
It also increases your chances of metabolic syndrome, a condition that describes having hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and dyslipidemia simultaneously.
Anyone can develop sleep apnea. However, only 3% of those within a healthy weight have the condition, compared to over 20% of those who are obese. And that’s not a coincidence.
When you carry extra pounds, it increases the fat in the back of your throat. As a result, it makes it more likely that you’ll have excess tissue fall over your airway while you sleep, subsequently blocking airflow to your lungs. But the problem doesn’t stop there.
Having sleep apnea also increases your chance of weight gain. That’s because sleep deprivation can throw off various hormones, from leptin which helps suppress the appetite, to ghrelin, the hormone that stimulates your appetite. This imbalance can increase cravings for calorie-dense food and overeating.
But even modest weight loss can help, and Dr. Carlton has solutions that can set you up for success once and for all.
First, rest easy that you don’t have to turn to bariatric surgery if you want to treat your sleep apnea. You can find numerous nonsurgical weight-loss options at LoneStar Bariatrics to help you reach your goals and improve your overall health. However, if you have a significant amount of weight to lose, a bariatric procedure could provide the best and most life-changing results.
There are several types of bariatric surgeries. They refer to medical procedures designed to change your digestive system, specifically impacting how much you eat, how your body absorbs nutrients, and hormones in the gut.
Types of bariatric procedures include:
Undergoing bariatric surgery for weight loss can help people shed 30-50% of excess weight within 6 months and up to 77% within a year. These dramatic results make it especially beneficial for addressing serious health conditions like diabetes, heart disease, and sleep apnea.
Do you struggle with your weight and sleep apnea? Get the help you need to improve your health and overall wellness by contacting the LoneStar Bariatrics location nearest you and scheduling an appointment today.
