It’s no secret that carrying excess weight can lead to a wide range of health problems. But did you know it can cause sleep apnea too? Fortunately, weight loss remains one of the most effective ways of reducing sleep apnea symptoms, and that’s where we can help.
At LoneStar Bariatrics, Dr. Chad Carlton and our team can help you better understand the link between weight and sleep apnea, while offering safe and effective strategies so you can reach your ideal weight for good.
There are different kinds of sleep apnea, but they all have one thing in common: They reduce the oxygen levels in your blood. That’s because your breathing stops and starts while you sleep, reducing airflow.
Without treatment, sleep apnea can cause a variety of unpleasant symptoms, including:
Sleep apnea also increases your chances of other serious health conditions, like Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure or heart problems, abnormal liver function, and metabolic syndrome.
While anyone can have sleep apnea, only 3% of people at a healthy weight have the disorder compared to over 20% of obese individuals. That’s because being overweight increases the amount of extra fat in the back of your throat. When you sleep, this excess tissue can fall over your airway, blocking airflow to your lungs.
We know weight loss isn’t easy. But shedding as little as 10% of your body weight can yield exceptional results for sleep apnea in two major ways. First, it reduces the excess fat in your throat, which can improve — or even completely eliminate — your symptoms. But, equally important, having sleep apnea can actually cause weight gain. So, losing those extra pounds to treat your sleep apnea symptoms can also help you maintain a healthy weight in the long run too.
If you’ve tried to lose weight in the past but haven’t succeeded, you’re not alone. That’s why Dr. Carlton and our team offer a variety of nonsurgical and surgical solutions so that you can finally achieve your weight-loss goals. As a result, you’ll say goodbye to your sleep apnea symptoms and improve your overall health.
One of the first steps for healthy weight loss involves nutritional counseling with our specially trained and qualified dietitian, Allison Rezentes, RD. Nutritional counseling plays a crucial role in weight management by helping you understand how your diet and food choices impact your health.
In addition to nutritional counseling, we also offer medical weight-loss management programs with clinically proven medications like Lomaira™ and Contrave®.
For more significant weight loss, Dr. Carlton and our team might recommend minimally invasive treatments. These procedures, known as bariatric surgery, work by limiting the amount of food you eat, changing how your body absorbs nutrients, and impacting the hormones in your gut.
The most common bariatric procedures include:
If you’re overweight and have sleep apnea, don’t ignore your symptoms. Contact us to learn more about your weight-loss solutions by requesting an appointment online or calling our office in Frisco or Richardson, Texas.
