I stopped using my cpap when the recall was announced. I have lost about 35 lbs since then. A few weeks I purchased a new apap, I have not notice a weight gain yet.
In 6 months of being a new CPAP user, I have gained enough weight that none of my clothes fit despite being active and eating the same way I've eaten for years. I've always been lean & I've never had any weight issues. I spoke to my sleep doctor about it today & she said that the CPAP should not be causing the weight gain, but she agreed to refer me to a sleep dentist for an oral appliance. Thank you for discussing this issue when other doctors will not!
I have been on CPAP machine for six months and have gained 8lbs(4%). I am 67 years old and retired, on diabetes and blood pressure medication, but do not have any sleep problems such as daytime sleepiness before I started using the CPAP machine. I typically use the machine 4 to 5 hours every night right after I go to bed. I take it off when I wake up to go the bathroom. After that I typically read for sometime and get a bit more sleep without the machine. I was put on CPAP because my red blood cell count was high(Polycythemia). I am very concerned about weight gain will be talking to my sleep doctor see whether I should stop using it. Thank you so much!
I'm a truck driver and was forced to use a cpap machine about 10 years ago, or they will take away my license to drive 18 wheelers. With that said, I am now 100 pounds heavier.
Air in your stomach is a result of the pressure being too high. Mine was set from 8 to 14 so my average pressure would be 13.9. I brought it down to 8 to 8.4 and I fixed that problem. No more air in my stomach or bloating in the morning. And now I’m at 7 to 8. And I’m losing weight not gaining.
I agree. I was feeling suffocated. Then, I learned about how to decrease the air pressure in Monterey. And how I felt the difference. Bringing the pressure way down helped
@@billmeyers4720 I don’t. Believe it or not my numbers are 0.0 all the way down. My pressure is to 7 and 8 which is perfect for me. But I didn’t have severe sleep apnea to begin with.
I’ve been on CPAP for few months now. From day one, I noticed that I became hungry while I’m using CPAP. Perhaps, I’ve been gaining weight because of additional appetite.
I am surprised this video has not gotten taken down yet. There is such a censorship nowadays with going against the narrative. Thank you for your honesty, the world needs more Dr’s like you 🙏
I gained about 25 pounds. My guess is metabolically the body has to shift from the emergency energy production system (glycolysis and lipolysis/fatty acid oxidation) due to apnea induced high adrenalin, cortisol and other stress hormones/catacholamines, back to the more efficient oxidizing of glucose through the ETC. Thyroid, androgens, CO2 and lactate take a while to normalize as the mitochondrial density increases. Would love to see more studies on this. Thoughts?
I experienced a big increase in hunger after getting my CPAP in October of 2020. It was comparable to nursing mother hunger. I gained an extra 6 pounds in one month that my body does not want to be rid of. This is on top of the covid era 9lbs I already gained.
I've been a fully compliant cpap user for almost 3 years, and it's changed my life for the better. However, while I was already overweight when starting treatment, I've gained an alarming amount of weight since then with almost zero change in lifestyle. I was borderline obese before starting cpap (sleep study indicated 114 events/hour without treatment), and now I am obese bordering on morbidly so. I definitely want to do more research on how these two things may be linked, and it's also clear that with the blessings of cpap come, for some like me, the responsibility to make lifestyle adjustments. I haven't found the energy or motivation to get there. I work a high-stress, demanding job that requires long hours sometimes 6 days/week. My wife also has a demanding professional role, and we are raising a young daughter, all of which make healthy habits difficult for me, mostly due to unhealthy coping mechanisms in response to stress. Thanks for the insights in this video, I will continue both do my homework and seek the motivation I need to make the necessary changes, despite the significant positive effects of cpap on my energy, focus, and productivity.
Z., I understand your predicament. It sounds like you're between a rock and a hard place. Unfortunately, if you're in the morbidly obese range, there are no good alternative options besides CPAP, expert for bariatric surgery or tracheotomy. For the sake of your wife and your daughter, it's important to address the weight problem. Even if the sleep apnea is technically treated, you're still at risk for diabetes and all the other metabolic consequences that go along with it. Take a look at my latest video on 11 surprising reasons why you can't lose weight, no matter how hard you try. Good luck!
Thanks as always for sharing these thought provoking ideas. I had been cpap intolerant for many years and now that I had nasal surgery and can sleep with a cpap, I've been focusing on better eating and more sleep to generally improve my health. My weight has been mostly consistent for me but I'll be monitoring it more closely in the months to come now that you brought it up.
How are you doing? I've done septoplasty and turbinate reduction 5 days ago. I'm hoping this would help with CPAP use more effectively. Did your procedure help? Thanks!
@@ST4R_G9L1XYS I'm doing well! Thanks for asking. I also had Dr Park help with a septoplasty and turbinate reduction and I feel like a different person. Before having the surgery, I never really thought about my breathing but I'd say I was breathing only at about 60-70% of what I am now. Prior to the surgery I could not keep the CPAP on for more than an hour due to the high pressure prescribed for my OSA. I would unconsciously take off the mask, turn off the machine and wonder in the morning why I was still so groggy. After the surgery, the pressure needed is much lower and I'm able to sleep through the night with an APAP. I've always been a mouth breather which led to lots of other issues. It's been over 2 years since I had the surgery and plan to go back to get a check up because I think my sleep could be improved a little but I'm definitely glad I went through with the process. Fingers crossed I still feel this way in the future.
@@kchin83 that's great to hear! I had my nasal stents removed this morning. I am still congested but definitely better. The deviated side then is still congested. I will have to take antihistamine everything control the swelling. That's my doctor's recommendation. I am hoping that it will get better as it heals. Do you have allergy issue too? Or just blockage?
@@ST4R_G9L1XYS So part of why I want to get formally checked out again is to see if my cpap usage and tightening of my nasal pillow straps has possibly led to my septum getting slightly deviated again. I do sometimes still get congestion from allergies but overall my breathing has been a lot easier after the healing from the surgery. Hope things work out for you!
I've gained 40 pounds since starting to use CPAP. It's very frustrating and disappointing. As well, I feel that I don't get the same deep sleep that I had otherwise. Not sure if it really helps me with my health or not. I felt better before I started using it and its been 3 years.
CPAP doesn't cause weight gain, eating more than you consume does. Using CPAP reduces BMR as you said. It makes sense to self regulate eating and exercise once you are on CPAP since you should have more energy to do so. We are people capable of doing this. Just using a machine passively is not a good idea especially if you are overweight to begin with.
Great point. However, all the numerous studies show mild weight gain on average. Many people won't gain weight, most will have no weight changes, but some will even lose weight. I try to explain why some people who use CPAP regularly gain weight, despite sleeping better. All the experts publishing these studies don't really have a good answer why.
Yeah, I've been losing weight since starting CPAP but as soon as I was getting good sleep and feeling rested in the morning, I immediately changed my dietary habits and got involved in some fun activities such as weightlifting, cycling, and jiu jitsu. I wouldn't have had the energy to do that before CPAP. Really changed my life.
I’ve been on CPAP for almost 6 years. I loved it as it helped me sleep better, but now I hate it as creates lots of problems Dr Park discussed in this video. I’m undergoing a sleep apnea surgery in 20 days, hopefully I can get off CPAP for good.
I was diagnosed with mild sleep apnea 3 months ago and began CPAP treatment. It's been very difficult to adjust to it. I am now on a nasal mask with a chin strap which has been easier to tolerate. I have gained 10 pounds since starting the treatment. So depressing. My AHI numbers are lower from 10.2 to 5.2 but It certainly has not given me more energy and has increased my depression. I am ready to move to a mouth piece if these side effects continue. Thank you for this video.
Madeline, I was seeing what happened to you far too often in practice. If CPAP works and you're sleeping better, and it allows you to lose weight, then I encourage using it. There are many people who get these results. But doctors are too quick to blame the patient for not seeing any benefits with CPAP, or if they are gaining weight. Good luck with the mandibular advancement device. Please keep us up to date.
@@doctorstevenpark Thank you for your kind reply. I will be seeing my provider at the end of the month. I am hoping she will give me a referral to a dental specialist given my current situation. I also appreciate the name of the device so I know what terms to use.
@@madeleine1138 The generic name is mandibular advancement device. It goes by many different brand names. All have their pros and cons. Dentists prefer certain brands over others, and there's no perfect device. It's not the particular device that's important, but the skill and expertise of the dentist that's more important. Good luck!
I have been using a CPAP for about 20 years. I have never gained a pound. Five months ago I completely stopped eating sugar of any kind, and lost 15 pounds!
I don’t know what it is from day to day, but when I am at the sleep specialist office it’s always about 99%. I have discovered since then that doing vagus nerve exercises has drastically reduced my events per hour.. They have always averaged between 3 and 7 events per hour, but after three months of doing vagus nerve exercises for about five minutes per day they are reduced to 0.3 events per hour. I have some tea
I went from 215 to 230. In 4 months. Started fasting and eating smaller portions in starting to lose weight again. Hopefully I can continue to lose weight. It was getting pretty concerning.
I have been constantly suffering from bloating when I wake up in the morning and weight gain despite moving over to a better diet and early dinners over the last few years. Just this morning it occurred to me that I should probably check if this had anything to do with the use of CPAP of which I am 100% compliant. Your comments Dr. Park are very useful to me. I am thinking how I could probably control this ? Any inputs would be useful.
I've only watched a few videos on CPAP machines, dont have one, and am not a professional but from what I've seen so far - your pressure might be too high, or you might be breathing in through your mouth a lot which causes air to go into your stomach. I'm sure there are videos about this that can explain it better than me though.
I’ve been doing cpap for about 2 months now, has been great for me, still getting used to it though. I wonder if the weight gain is a physiological thing. I’m not overweight but I know that there is a lot of pressure put on sleep apnea patients to lose weight, and once their cpap “fixes” their sleep apnea they no longer worry about weight as they’ve found a solution to their issues
I was 10.st when I was first diagnosed with sleep apnea 11 years ago I had been same wait all my life but since using crap machine I’ve gone up to 18 stone
I’ve been using cpap for 5 years and have gained about 2 stone! It’s also much harder to lose weight but did manage to get a stone off going to the gym and changing my diet slightly.
It’s the increase in growth factors due to finally getting better sleep. This includes hgh (human growth hormone), igf-1 (insulin growth factor - 1) which attributes to weight gain, more predominately, muscle weight gain as well if you are an athlete and more specifically, a bodybuilder or strength athlete
I most definitely gained weight after starting CPAP, & I do find it a struggle to lose weight. I'm not hugely overweight, BUT I've had to buy new clothes one size larger than before and I'm still gaining weight, sadly, despite my best attempts...
Yeah well you can’t expect to lose weight by just sleeping better. When you sleeping better then you have more energy then you start working out exercising and eating better. Then you’ll lose weight. Sleeping better is the tool to do all that.
I have severe sleep apnea. (97 interruptions per hour.) I have been using CPAP on and off for about 20 years, mostly on. I am now 100 lbs. overweight with a neck size of 20". My new CPAP machine that I received as a replacemenet due to litigation recently overheated and died on me, Phillips Respironics DreamStation. Before it died on me, the hose kept blowing off the mask, so the machine would be on, but I would not have the benefit of the air flow. I am sick of the whole business. I am going to the dentist to get an oral device.
Interesting. I am just twigging onto this. Here's the long story. As a teenager, I had bad lockjaw - had wisdom teeth taken out, joints flushed, jaw wired shut for about 10 days. I was always lightweight until my mid-late 20s. in mid 20s got lockjaw again, treated with biteplate. In My 30s - lockjaw again (showed up as dislocation in xray), biteplate fixed it again. By this time I was constantly complaining to my doctor of being tired all the time (this continued for about a decade and was told diet and exercise). By this time I was overweight/obese. Every discussion with Dr was around diet and exercise - I couldn't understand why my appetite was insatiable - particularly after I quit smoking. Then in late 30s blood pressure spiked really high and stayed there. Finally Dr ordered sleep test - severe OSA (78 AHI). Got Cpap machine, have had excellent compliance ever since - nightly AHIs under 1 usually. Still had trouble losing weight for the 13 years since. Recently when I saw my sleep dr I asked him to check my septum - yep, bent and small - hence why I was a mouth breather and nasal masks never worked. constricted upper pallet as well. My conclusion - my head shape probably means I always had sleep apnea. Multiple Drs treated the symptoms but never bothered to look at the physical construct of nose and throat (how does a maxillofacial surgeon not notice this?). I conclude that weight gain was probably initially driven by sleep apnea and weight loss is harder on CPAP for me as I end up carb craving. In short, Sleep apnea and the overly specialization and check in the box, revolving door medicine approach has really not helped me much at all. I have had serious attempts at weight loss, however it is much harder for me and now I think I see why. Now I'm Type 2 diabetic and trying to convince Dr to get me on semiguciazide(?) or something similar to give me an extra hand with weight loss. In conclusion, I think Sleep apnea leads to weight gain, but treating sleep apnea with Cpap solves many problems but it does not help with weight loss after the fact - in fact, I suspect carb craving may well be a biproduct of Cpap - maybe due to body being accustomed to stress at night and suddenly to having the stresses - I don't know. To be clear - without CPAP I have no doubt that I would not be amongst the living right now.
It would be interesting to see if people who have sleep apnea treated with surgery also have issues with weight. Maybe the fast move from highly stressful sleep to good sleep throws the metabolism too far too quickly for the body to adjust its metabolic rate?
There's value to various breathing and tongue exercises that are out there, and they all work to various degrees. The problem with sleep apnea is that you only have trouble breathing while you sleep, so you have no control. Exercises done during the day can help, and in some cases can get rid of sleep apnea. Unfortunately, this is uncommon.
Interesting. I'm only one data point, but I actually lost weight about 15kg actually. I went from 120kg to 105Kg. I've also taken up exercise and I'm more careful about what I eat.
This is another example that just as there is no medication that doesn't cause some kind of side effect, there's no medical treatment without some kind of side effect. So important to keep on exploring and developing better treatments for sleep apnea. Thank you, Dr. Park.
I found that to make the CPAP machine work I must breathe through my mouth. It has made my sleep pattern erratic, I wake up more than 4 times every night. Need help.
This is why it's so important to breathe properly through your nose at night. I have a lot of videos on conservative ways to have better nasal breathing. If you're still not making progress, see an ENT doctor. I mentioned in one video that once nasal breathing is improved with surgery, CPAP use went up from 30 minutes to 5 hours!
Off topic butI can't find the answer. I see they say never buy a used cpap. germs, bacteria all the bad stuff. Yet hospitals move them from patient to patient. They would not let my husband use his own BiPAP and the hospital the bipod never fits him like his machine.. His last was spending the night in the ER. They only had one for the ER and something tells me these machines are not being cleaned between use. So is it safe to research a used cpap and follow the cleaning instructions I see on Line? Thanks
There are clinical guides to cleaning CPAP systems between patients, personally I don't think the machines are reservoirs of disease because generally the expelled air is vented out of the mask and not via the machine. The tubing and mask I would definitely replace however. I would make sure the used machine is in good working order, never exposed to cigarette smoke, and check the number of hours it has been used (available in the menu and as far as I know can not be reset).
I have lost and gained weight while on cpap. I always thought it was more due to my lifestyle choices, but didn't consider the cpap might be a factor in weight gain.
I don’t understand this at all. My Sleep Doc told me it’s nearly impossible to lose weight if you have Sleep Apnea, and that CPAP will help me lose weight, because my body will be less stressed and dumping less cortisol into my system when getting normal sleep. WTF am I supposed to do??
Cpap makes me restless. Ahi is improved but my sleep worsen. How do you choose between better ahi on machine compare to patients saying he/she felt better without cpap?
Arthur, your experience is in line with what I'm talking about. Although the AHI may be better, CPAP can sometimes worsen sleep quality. Switching to a different xPAP machine is unlikely to help. Perhaps talk with your sleep doctor to consider other options. Good luck!
Very interesting. Although I stopped using CPAP many years ago, I've always been a terrible sleeper, I've always been tired my whole life. Since using the Apollo Neuro about six weeks ago, I'm sleeping much better! I don't wake up as often during the night. Also since I started using the Apollo, I've also gained about 8 lbs which is very unusual for me! 155 to 163 lbs. My weight has been very consistent for decades, plus or minus 3 or 4 lbs. Thanks for your vidoes!
I don’t care . I do not have headaches , I’m no longer tired , my heart rate has dropped , I don’t wake up at night any longer .I’m hoping my BP lowers so I can get off my meds .
I have been using CPAP for over 8 years. I have mostly maintained my weight until the onset of the pandemic. The stress of helping treat hundreds then eventually over a thousand of Covid-19 infected persons resulted in a weight gain of 30 lbs from 195 to 125 lbs. But since I shifted to a Low-Carb One Meal A Day fast, I have lost 30 lbs. More important than losing weight, it was where I lost weight. The weight I lost was mainly in the fat around the waist. I intend to indefinitely continue on this course till I lose another 30 lbs. This weight loss would lower my weight from being overweight to being within the normal range. I do not consider CPAP as a factor in my weight gain or my weight loss.
Very interesting information. I would love to hear your thoughts on a few questions. Is it possible that person was going to gain wait anyway because many people gradually gain weight as they age? If you share that *possible* side effect, will a patient refuse it because they don't want to gain wait? What about the link between grehlin and leptin and weight gain in sleep deprived patients? I would think a person with OSA would sleep better on CPAP thus having more normal hormone levels. And like a previous comment, do they patients have another med prescribed at the same time as CPAP treatment, like a beta blocker or other med that causes weight gain? You are always so interesting!
Ms. Hoefs, the study I mentioned used a control group over a period of 6 months. In all the other studies, they controlled for natural weight gain in the control group. The problem with these studies is that it gives you an average, but it's likely that only a small minority are gaining most of the weight. The challenge is figuring out what the predisposing risk factors are for weight gain after CPAP. Perhaps there needs to be another study where they measure metabolic baseline levels including insulin resistance, ghrelin and leptin (and others) before and after at least one year of CPAP use and compare to controls who don't use CPAP. I'm always suspicious about sham CPAP, since having something strapped to your face can lower your sleep quality. Regarding medications, I don't believe this study controlled for it. It's unlikely that many of these patients started a new medication just when starting CPAP. The only way to find out the real answer is to do another prospective study, looking at all these variables. This will be a very expensive and complex study. My guess is that something may show up in the metabolic/appetite panel, which can predict weight gain after CPAP.
My theory is that the more sleep you're getting the less calories you burn, simply because you're staying still in bed an hour or two longer than you would have been prior to CPAP treatment. It might depend on multiple factors of course, but for me I feel this is why. Plus just normal ageing. Most people are generally slightly older by the time they begin CPAP treatment, so from our 40's onwards we gain weight naturally every year, especially with perimenopause.. unless you're a fitness/weight loss fanatic.
My Dr. explained this to me before I started on CPAP.
I stopped using my cpap when the recall was announced. I have lost about 35 lbs since then. A few weeks I purchased a new apap, I have not notice a weight gain yet.
In 6 months of being a new CPAP user, I have gained enough weight that none of my clothes fit despite being active and eating the same way I've eaten for years. I've always been lean & I've never had any weight issues. I spoke to my sleep doctor about it today & she said that the CPAP should not be causing the weight gain, but she agreed to refer me to a sleep dentist for an oral appliance. Thank you for discussing this issue when other doctors will not!
I have been on CPAP machine for six months and have gained 8lbs(4%). I am 67 years old and retired, on diabetes and blood pressure medication, but do not have any sleep problems such as daytime sleepiness before I started using the CPAP machine. I typically use the machine 4 to 5 hours every night right after I go to bed. I take it off when I wake up to go the bathroom. After that I typically read for sometime and get a bit more sleep without the machine. I was put on CPAP because my red blood cell count was high(Polycythemia). I am very concerned about weight gain will be talking to my sleep doctor see whether I should stop using it. Thank you so much!
I'm a truck driver and was forced to use a cpap machine about 10 years ago, or they will take away my license to drive 18 wheelers. With that said, I am now 100 pounds heavier.
This explains everything in my experience with CPAP. And of course I had no idea.
Air in your stomach is a result of the pressure being too high. Mine was set from 8 to 14 so my average pressure would be 13.9. I brought it down to 8 to 8.4 and I fixed that problem. No more air in my stomach or bloating in the morning. And now I’m at 7 to 8. And I’m losing weight not gaining.
I agree. I was feeling suffocated. Then, I learned about how to decrease the air pressure in Monterey. And how I felt the difference. Bringing the pressure way down helped
Can I ask you how many times you stop breathing an hour
@@billmeyers4720 I don’t. Believe it or not my numbers are 0.0 all the way down. My pressure is to 7 and 8 which is perfect for me. But I didn’t have severe sleep apnea to begin with.
Thanks! Good info.
I’ve been on CPAP for few months now. From day one, I noticed that I became hungry while I’m using CPAP. Perhaps, I’ve been gaining weight because of additional appetite.
Check your oxygen levels
I am surprised this video has not gotten taken down yet. There is such a censorship nowadays with going against the narrative. Thank you for your honesty, the world needs more Dr’s like you 🙏
I gained about 25 pounds. My guess is metabolically the body has to shift from the emergency energy production system (glycolysis and lipolysis/fatty acid oxidation) due to apnea induced high adrenalin, cortisol and other stress hormones/catacholamines, back to the more efficient oxidizing of glucose through the ETC. Thyroid, androgens, CO2 and lactate take a while to normalize as the mitochondrial density increases. Would love to see more studies on this. Thoughts?
I experienced a big increase in hunger after getting my CPAP in October of 2020. It was comparable to nursing mother hunger. I gained an extra 6 pounds in one month that my body does not want to be rid of. This is on top of the covid era 9lbs I already gained.
Did you contingue to gain weightor did it stop at 6 pounds?
I've just started CPAP and my deep sleep has gone down significantly. But I'm awake during the day now.
I've been a fully compliant cpap user for almost 3 years, and it's changed my life for the better. However, while I was already overweight when starting treatment, I've gained an alarming amount of weight since then with almost zero change in lifestyle. I was borderline obese before starting cpap (sleep study indicated 114 events/hour without treatment), and now I am obese bordering on morbidly so. I definitely want to do more research on how these two things may be linked, and it's also clear that with the blessings of cpap come, for some like me, the responsibility to make lifestyle adjustments. I haven't found the energy or motivation to get there. I work a high-stress, demanding job that requires long hours sometimes 6 days/week. My wife also has a demanding professional role, and we are raising a young daughter, all of which make healthy habits difficult for me, mostly due to unhealthy coping mechanisms in response to stress. Thanks for the insights in this video, I will continue both do my homework and seek the motivation I need to make the necessary changes, despite the significant positive effects of cpap on my energy, focus, and productivity.
Z., I understand your predicament. It sounds like you're between a rock and a hard place. Unfortunately, if you're in the morbidly obese range, there are no good alternative options besides CPAP, expert for bariatric surgery or tracheotomy. For the sake of your wife and your daughter, it's important to address the weight problem. Even if the sleep apnea is technically treated, you're still at risk for diabetes and all the other metabolic consequences that go along with it. Take a look at my latest video on 11 surprising reasons why you can't lose weight, no matter how hard you try. Good luck!
Thanks as always for sharing these thought provoking ideas. I had been cpap intolerant for many years and now that I had nasal surgery and can sleep with a cpap, I've been focusing on better eating and more sleep to generally improve my health. My weight has been mostly consistent for me but I'll be monitoring it more closely in the months to come now that you brought it up.
How are you doing? I've done septoplasty and turbinate reduction 5 days ago. I'm hoping this would help with CPAP use more effectively. Did your procedure help? Thanks!
@@ST4R_G9L1XYS I'm doing well! Thanks for asking. I also had Dr Park help with a septoplasty and turbinate reduction and I feel like a different person. Before having the surgery, I never really thought about my breathing but I'd say I was breathing only at about 60-70% of what I am now. Prior to the surgery I could not keep the CPAP on for more than an hour due to the high pressure prescribed for my OSA. I would unconsciously take off the mask, turn off the machine and wonder in the morning why I was still so groggy. After the surgery, the pressure needed is much lower and I'm able to sleep through the night with an APAP. I've always been a mouth breather which led to lots of other issues. It's been over 2 years since I had the surgery and plan to go back to get a check up because I think my sleep could be improved a little but I'm definitely glad I went through with the process. Fingers crossed I still feel this way in the future.
@@kchin83 that's great to hear! I had my nasal stents removed this morning. I am still congested but definitely better. The deviated side then is still congested. I will have to take antihistamine everything control the swelling. That's my doctor's recommendation. I am hoping that it will get better as it heals.
Do you have allergy issue too? Or just blockage?
@@ST4R_G9L1XYS So part of why I want to get formally checked out again is to see if my cpap usage and tightening of my nasal pillow straps has possibly led to my septum getting slightly deviated again. I do sometimes still get congestion from allergies but overall my breathing has been a lot easier after the healing from the surgery. Hope things work out for you!
I just subscribed. Great channel!!
I've gained 40 pounds since starting to use CPAP. It's very frustrating and disappointing. As well, I feel that I don't get the same deep sleep that I had otherwise. Not sure if it really helps me with my health or not. I felt better before I started using it and its been 3 years.
Then stop using it!!!
Get a titration study done, if you don’t feel good they need to adjust your numbers
Great video! Thank you!!
CPAP doesn't cause weight gain, eating more than you consume does. Using CPAP reduces BMR as you said. It makes sense to self regulate eating and exercise once you are on CPAP since you should have more energy to do so. We are people capable of doing this. Just using a machine passively is not a good idea especially if you are overweight to begin with.
Great point. However, all the numerous studies show mild weight gain on average. Many people won't gain weight, most will have no weight changes, but some will even lose weight. I try to explain why some people who use CPAP regularly gain weight, despite sleeping better. All the experts publishing these studies don't really have a good answer why.
Yeah, I've been losing weight since starting CPAP but as soon as I was getting good sleep and feeling rested in the morning, I immediately changed my dietary habits and got involved in some fun activities such as weightlifting, cycling, and jiu jitsu. I wouldn't have had the energy to do that before CPAP. Really changed my life.
Are you a doctor?
@@middleofnowhere1313 No. Do you need to be a doctor to figure that out?
I’ve been on CPAP for almost 6 years. I loved it as it helped me sleep better, but now I hate it as creates lots of problems Dr Park discussed in this video. I’m undergoing a sleep apnea surgery in 20 days, hopefully I can get off CPAP for good.
Good luck, and please keep up up to date.
I was diagnosed with mild sleep apnea 3 months ago and began CPAP treatment. It's been very difficult to adjust to it. I am now on a nasal mask with a chin strap which has been easier to tolerate. I have gained 10 pounds since starting the treatment. So depressing. My AHI numbers are lower from 10.2 to 5.2 but It certainly has not given me more energy and has increased my depression. I am ready to move to a mouth piece if these side effects continue. Thank you for this video.
Madeline, I was seeing what happened to you far too often in practice. If CPAP works and you're sleeping better, and it allows you to lose weight, then I encourage using it. There are many people who get these results. But doctors are too quick to blame the patient for not seeing any benefits with CPAP, or if they are gaining weight. Good luck with the mandibular advancement device. Please keep us up to date.
@@doctorstevenpark Thank you for your kind reply. I will be seeing my provider at the end of the month. I am hoping she will give me a referral to a dental specialist given my current situation. I also appreciate the name of the device so I know what terms to use.
@@madeleine1138 The generic name is mandibular advancement device. It goes by many different brand names. All have their pros and cons. Dentists prefer certain brands over others, and there's no perfect device. It's not the particular device that's important, but the skill and expertise of the dentist that's more important. Good luck!
@@doctorstevenpark Thank you so much.
@@madeleine1138 Hru Doing now Madeleine ?? Are u still using cpap??
I have been using a CPAP for about 20 years. I have never gained a pound. Five months ago I completely stopped eating sugar of any kind, and lost 15 pounds!
Whats your oxygen levels
I don’t know what it is from day to day, but when I am at the sleep specialist office it’s always about 99%.
I have discovered since then that doing vagus nerve exercises has drastically reduced my events per hour.. They have always averaged between 3 and 7 events per hour, but after three months of doing vagus nerve exercises for about five minutes per day they are reduced to 0.3 events per hour. I have some tea
probably a lot of water weight lol. carbs retain water more than protein/fat
I went from 215 to 230. In 4 months. Started fasting and eating smaller portions in starting to lose weight again. Hopefully I can continue to lose weight. It was getting pretty concerning.
Aside from your weight gain. How has your quality of life changed since getting on cpap?
@@Chris-12945 I feel I don't get sick as often and maybe a little more rested. Not a huge difference. But better than nothing.
I have been constantly suffering from bloating when I wake up in the morning and weight gain despite moving over to a better diet and early dinners over the last few years. Just this morning it occurred to me that I should probably check if this had anything to do with the use of CPAP of which I am 100% compliant. Your comments Dr. Park are very useful to me. I am thinking how I could probably control this ? Any inputs would be useful.
I've only watched a few videos on CPAP machines, dont have one, and am not a professional but from what I've seen so far - your pressure might be too high, or you might be breathing in through your mouth a lot which causes air to go into your stomach. I'm sure there are videos about this that can explain it better than me though.
I’ve been doing cpap for about 2 months now, has been great for me, still getting used to it though. I wonder if the weight gain is a physiological thing. I’m not overweight but I know that there is a lot of pressure put on sleep apnea patients to lose weight, and once their cpap “fixes” their sleep apnea they no longer worry about weight as they’ve found a solution to their issues
I thought people lose weight when they use cpap? Im seeing people saying the exact opposite.
Some people do lose weight. But it looks like on average, people gain weight slightly overall based on a meta-analysis.
Great video. Would love to be this Drs patient.
I was 10.st when I was first diagnosed with sleep apnea 11 years ago I had been same wait all my life but since using crap machine I’ve gone up to 18 stone
I’ve been using cpap for 5 years and have gained about 2 stone! It’s also much harder to lose weight but did manage to get a stone off going to the gym and changing my diet slightly.
It’s the increase in growth factors due to finally getting better sleep. This includes hgh (human growth hormone), igf-1 (insulin growth factor - 1) which attributes to weight gain, more predominately, muscle weight gain as well if you are an athlete and more specifically, a bodybuilder or strength athlete
Nope
I most definitely gained weight after starting CPAP, & I do find it a struggle to lose weight. I'm not hugely overweight, BUT I've had to buy new clothes one size larger than before and I'm still gaining weight, sadly, despite my best attempts...
Thanks for sharing this.
Yeah well you can’t expect to lose weight by just sleeping better. When you sleeping better then you have more energy then you start working out exercising and eating better. Then you’ll lose weight. Sleeping better is the tool to do all that.
I have severe sleep apnea. (97 interruptions per hour.) I have been using CPAP on and off for about 20 years, mostly on. I am now 100 lbs. overweight with a neck size of 20". My new CPAP machine that I received as a replacemenet due to litigation recently overheated and died on me, Phillips Respironics DreamStation. Before it died on me, the hose kept blowing off the mask, so the machine would be on, but I would not have the benefit of the air flow. I am sick of the whole business. I am going to the dentist to get an oral device.
Great video thanks so much
Interesting. I am just twigging onto this. Here's the long story. As a teenager, I had bad lockjaw - had wisdom teeth taken out, joints flushed, jaw wired shut for about 10 days. I was always lightweight until my mid-late 20s. in mid 20s got lockjaw again, treated with biteplate. In My 30s - lockjaw again (showed up as dislocation in xray), biteplate fixed it again. By this time I was constantly complaining to my doctor of being tired all the time (this continued for about a decade and was told diet and exercise). By this time I was overweight/obese. Every discussion with Dr was around diet and exercise - I couldn't understand why my appetite was insatiable - particularly after I quit smoking. Then in late 30s blood pressure spiked really high and stayed there. Finally Dr ordered sleep test - severe OSA (78 AHI). Got Cpap machine, have had excellent compliance ever since - nightly AHIs under 1 usually. Still had trouble losing weight for the 13 years since. Recently when I saw my sleep dr I asked him to check my septum - yep, bent and small - hence why I was a mouth breather and nasal masks never worked. constricted upper pallet as well. My conclusion - my head shape probably means I always had sleep apnea. Multiple Drs treated the symptoms but never bothered to look at the physical construct of nose and throat (how does a maxillofacial surgeon not notice this?). I conclude that weight gain was probably initially driven by sleep apnea and weight loss is harder on CPAP for me as I end up carb craving. In short, Sleep apnea and the overly specialization and check in the box, revolving door medicine approach has really not helped me much at all. I have had serious attempts at weight loss, however it is much harder for me and now I think I see why. Now I'm Type 2 diabetic and trying to convince Dr to get me on semiguciazide(?) or something similar to give me an extra hand with weight loss. In conclusion, I think Sleep apnea leads to weight gain, but treating sleep apnea with Cpap solves many problems but it does not help with weight loss after the fact - in fact, I suspect carb craving may well be a biproduct of Cpap - maybe due to body being accustomed to stress at night and suddenly to having the stresses - I don't know. To be clear - without CPAP I have no doubt that I would not be amongst the living right now.
It would be interesting to see if people who have sleep apnea treated with surgery also have issues with weight. Maybe the fast move from highly stressful sleep to good sleep throws the metabolism too far too quickly for the body to adjust its metabolic rate?
I would love to hear about natural ways to treat sleep apnea such as breathing exercises.
There's value to various breathing and tongue exercises that are out there, and they all work to various degrees. The problem with sleep apnea is that you only have trouble breathing while you sleep, so you have no control. Exercises done during the day can help, and in some cases can get rid of sleep apnea. Unfortunately, this is uncommon.
breathing exercises for a breating problem when you are asleep... you got a long way to go ...
Interesting. I'm only one data point, but I actually lost weight about 15kg actually. I went from 120kg to 105Kg. I've also taken up exercise and I'm more careful about what I eat.
This is another example that just as there is no medication that doesn't cause some kind of side effect, there's no medical treatment without some kind of side effect. So important to keep on exploring and developing better treatments for sleep apnea. Thank you, Dr. Park.
I wonder if some CPAP patients are simultaneously prescribed beta blockers which are also said to lead to weight gain.
Most people I know are not
I found that to make the CPAP machine work I must breathe through my mouth. It has made my sleep pattern erratic, I wake up more than 4 times every night. Need help.
This is why it's so important to breathe properly through your nose at night. I have a lot of videos on conservative ways to have better nasal breathing. If you're still not making progress, see an ENT doctor. I mentioned in one video that once nasal breathing is improved with surgery, CPAP use went up from 30 minutes to 5 hours!
Off topic butI can't find the answer. I see they say never buy a used cpap. germs, bacteria all the bad stuff. Yet hospitals move them from patient to patient. They would not let my husband use his own BiPAP and the hospital the bipod never fits him like his machine.. His last was spending the night in the ER. They only had one for the ER and something tells me these machines are not being cleaned between use. So is it safe to research a used cpap and follow the cleaning instructions I see on Line? Thanks
There are clinical guides to cleaning CPAP systems between patients, personally I don't think the machines are reservoirs of disease because generally the expelled air is vented out of the mask and not via the machine. The tubing and mask I would definitely replace however. I would make sure the used machine is in good working order, never exposed to cigarette smoke, and check the number of hours it has been used (available in the menu and as far as I know can not be reset).
I have lost and gained weight while on cpap. I always thought it was more due to my lifestyle choices, but didn't consider the cpap might be a factor in weight gain.
I am sleeping better with CPAP and oxygen but I am gaining weight, whereas I was stable before. I know I am not tossing and turning like I was.
after 4 months of cpap weight has increased slightly for me, from 112 to 118 kilograms
I don’t understand this at all. My Sleep Doc told me it’s nearly impossible to lose weight if you have Sleep Apnea, and that CPAP will help me lose weight, because my body will be less stressed and dumping less cortisol into my system when getting normal sleep. WTF am I supposed to do??
I don’t get it either.
I thought exactly the same as you!
It woukd be helpful to know if on average more CPAP uses loose or gain weight .
The study I mentioned found that overall, CPAP users gained some weight. thorax.bmj.com/content/70/3/258.long
Does Inspire Therapy also cause Weight Gain?
Cpap makes me restless. Ahi is improved but my sleep worsen. How do you choose between better ahi on machine compare to patients saying he/she felt better without cpap?
Arthur, your experience is in line with what I'm talking about. Although the AHI may be better, CPAP can sometimes worsen sleep quality. Switching to a different xPAP machine is unlikely to help. Perhaps talk with your sleep doctor to consider other options. Good luck!
Very interesting
How were you able to sleep. I stop breathing 61 times an hour
Treating my UARS with BiPAP (I am now on ASV) made me enjoy eating more, so I ate more.
Very interesting. Although I stopped using CPAP many years ago, I've always been a terrible sleeper, I've always been tired my whole life. Since using the Apollo Neuro about six weeks ago, I'm sleeping much better! I don't wake up as often during the night. Also since I started using the Apollo, I've also gained about 8 lbs which is very unusual for me! 155 to 163 lbs. My weight has been very consistent for decades, plus or minus 3 or 4 lbs. Thanks for your vidoes!
I don’t care . I do not have headaches , I’m no longer tired , my heart rate has dropped , I don’t wake up at night any longer .I’m hoping my BP lowers so I can get off my meds .
I have been using CPAP for over 8 years. I have mostly maintained my weight until the onset of the pandemic. The stress of helping treat hundreds then eventually over a thousand of Covid-19 infected persons resulted in a weight gain of 30 lbs from 195 to 125 lbs. But since I shifted to a Low-Carb One Meal A Day fast, I have lost 30 lbs. More important than losing weight, it was where I lost weight. The weight I lost was mainly in the fat around the waist. I intend to indefinitely continue on this course till I lose another 30 lbs. This weight loss would lower my weight from being overweight to being within the normal range. I do not consider CPAP as a factor in my weight gain or my weight loss.
Well said!👏👏
Start CPAP and OMAD at the same time.
Very interesting information. I would love to hear your thoughts on a few questions. Is it possible that person was going to gain wait anyway because many people gradually gain weight as they age? If you share that *possible* side effect, will a patient refuse it because they don't want to gain wait? What about the link between grehlin and leptin and weight gain in sleep deprived patients? I would think a person with OSA would sleep better on CPAP thus having more normal hormone levels. And like a previous comment, do they patients have another med prescribed at the same time as CPAP treatment, like a beta blocker or other med that causes weight gain? You are always so interesting!
Ms. Hoefs, the study I mentioned used a control group over a period of 6 months. In all the other studies, they controlled for natural weight gain in the control group. The problem with these studies is that it gives you an average, but it's likely that only a small minority are gaining most of the weight. The challenge is figuring out what the predisposing risk factors are for weight gain after CPAP. Perhaps there needs to be another study where they measure metabolic baseline levels including insulin resistance, ghrelin and leptin (and others) before and after at least one year of CPAP use and compare to controls who don't use CPAP. I'm always suspicious about sham CPAP, since having something strapped to your face can lower your sleep quality. Regarding medications, I don't believe this study controlled for it. It's unlikely that many of these patients started a new medication just when starting CPAP. The only way to find out the real answer is to do another prospective study, looking at all these variables. This will be a very expensive and complex study. My guess is that something may show up in the metabolic/appetite panel, which can predict weight gain after CPAP.
Omg! What else?
Thats why i cant lose weight even only eating 1 meal a day...ok i eat biscuits and chocolate, however, its the CPAP causing it
Eh, it’s the biscuits and chocolate me thinks.
My theory is that the more sleep you're getting the less calories you burn, simply because you're staying still in bed an hour or two longer than you would have been prior to CPAP treatment. It might depend on multiple factors of course, but for me I feel this is why. Plus just normal ageing. Most people are generally slightly older by the time they begin CPAP treatment, so from our 40's onwards we gain weight naturally every year, especially with perimenopause.. unless you're a fitness/weight loss fanatic.
The zooming in and out constantly is SOOOO annoying.......
Sleep apnea even with CPAP is a death sentence.
Explain
Life is a death sentence
Your a doctor and begging for help to spread the word?
Very interesting