Hormonal
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is strongly correlated with obesity, where upper airway fat deposits narrow the airway and decrease muscle activity, leading to hypoxic episodes that cause tissue hypoxia and subsequent atherosclerosis.
If you have obesity, getting screened for sleep apnea is critical because the resulting sleep fragmentation and hypoxia drive hormonal imbalances (like increased ghrelin and decreased leptin) that make weight loss harder and increase cardiovascular risk. Treating OSA (e.g., with CPAP) and improving sleep duration can help restore hormonal balance and support weight management efforts.
In obese people, fat deposits in the upper respiratory tract narrow the airway; there is a decrease in muscle activity in this region, leading to hypoxic and apneic episodes... The decreased oxygenation causes tissue hypoxia, which is the main contributing factor to atherosclerosis, the main risk factor for Cardiovascular Diseases (CVD).
Why this rating
This is a review article summarizing multiple observational and longitudinal studies, not a single primary RCT.
Source
Obstructive sleep apnea and obesity: implications for public health
Samy I. McFarlane · Sleep Medicine and Disorders International Journal · 2017
DOI 10.15406/smdij.2017.01.00019
More from this paper
- Weight loss, achieved through lifestyle modifications (diet, exercise) or bariatric surgery, significantly improves or resolves Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) and its associated metabolic derangements.Moderate
- Short sleep duration (less than 7 hours) is associated with increased obesity risk, visceral obesity, and metabolic syndrome due to hormonal imbalances (increased ghrelin, decreased leptin) and increased caloric intake.Moderate
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