Weight gain

[hikeatrail]

I am sleeping great the past year since I got a new mask. I feel great but the problem is that I have gained over 20 pounds in less than a year and no change of eating habits. I am noting that hundreds of posts have been mentioned where they have also gained excessive weight after using the C Pap for a year. I sure like being awake all day but very angry due to the weight gain as I look terrible and have poor self image now. Some trade off. Does anyone have any ideas?

[LadyMarilyn]

I used to move a lot in my sleep, and I have Restless Leg Syndrome. Now I don't move as much as the RLS isn't as bad. I'm not burning as many calories overnight, and figure that's why my weight has gone up. You'd think since I have more energy during the day that would balance it out, but it hasn't.

[jgjones1972]

You say you got a new mask about a year ago, but how long have you been on PAP and when was your last sleep study?

You don't say what kind of machine you have, but your profile shows you are on constant pressure. Do you have any way of finding out your AHI?

[trish6hundred]

Hi hikeatrail and WELCOME! to the forum.!
I don't know the answer to your question but hang in there for more suggestions. Best of luck to you.

[Sleepster]

I am sleeping great the past year since I got a new mask. I feel great but the problem is that I have gained over 20 pounds in less than a year and no change of eating habits. I am noting that hundreds of posts have been mentioned where they have also gained excessive weight after using the C Pap for a year.

I used to move a lot in my sleep, and I have Restless Leg Syndrome. Now I don't move as much as the RLS isn't as bad. I'm not burning as many calories overnight, and figure that's why my weight has gone up.

Welcome hikeatrail and LadyMarilyn. I too have gained 10-20 pounds since starting CPAP therapy a little over a year ago. It has got to be due to either an increase in food intake or a decrease in physical activity or both.

I'm glad I'm not the only one going through this. I am trying to cut down on the calorie content of my meals and reduce the after-dinner snacking. And I'm trying to increase my exercise activities.

In the past year I just haven't felt like doing much of anything physical. I think it's the shock to my system of being able to sleep again, for the first time in probably 25-35 years. I say that because that is when these awful tension headaches started and now with CPAP therapy I am finally getting true relief.

[trish6hundred]

Hi LadyMarilyn,
WELCOME! to the forum.!
Best of luck to you with your CPAP therapy.

[hikeatrail]

You say you got a new mask about a year ago, but how long have you been on PAP and when was your last sleep study?

You don't say what kind of machine you have, but your profile shows you are on constant pressure. Do you have any way of finding out your AHI?

i havent had a study since my original one...had the C-Pap for years but couldnt tolerate the large mask plus it made me sneeze violently the next day. a year ago, a friend showd me his over the nose mask and I bought one and it worked a miracle for me...I tolerated it and have yet to fall asleep during the day and feel very rested. That said, since I started using it a year ago my weight has balooned from 185 to 212. I will post another reply when I get home when I can read it and give you more info. I was amazed when I saw how many people have gained so much weight using C-Pap. Thanks

[jgjones1972]

I read one study that suggested PAP use has no impact on body mass in males, but can cause a slight increase in body mass in females.

I read another study suggesting that increased body mass is common and the authors of the study suggest this is due to less effort to breath while sleeping.

Some researchers postulate that obesity causes obstructive apnea, others postulate that untreated apnea causes obesity.

Seems to be quite a bit of anecdotal evidence that PAP therapy leads to weight gain - also a lot of anecdotal evidence that PAP therapy leads to weight loss.


If I were you I would first make sure AHI levels are good.

Maybe your apnea has gotten worse and you need higher pressure to treat it properly.

Maybe the newer mask has some leaks that are compromising therapy. If you switched to a nasal mask, are you sure you aren't mouth breathing?

Maybe it is the case that successful PAP therapy is causing weight gain in your case and in many others.

In any case, I think it would be a good idea to check out the AHI and leak data if that's available to you. If not, it might be a good time to check with your doctor about getting another sleep study and see if he has any ideas about the weight gain. Also, if your PAP can't give you AHI and leak data, I would highly suggest considering getting a data capable machine.

[jgjones1972]

Also, if seeing the doc/new sleep study/data capable machine are cost prohibitive, you could get a low-end recording pulse oximeter for about $50. Wear it while sleeping and and then use the software that comes with it to see if you have any O2 desaturations. Desaturations would mean your therapy probably isn't working too well. No desaturations would mean your PAP therapy is probably working.

Feeling good during the day would lead one to believe the therapy is still effective; but, if it were me, I would still do whatever I could to check to make sure - considering the circumstances.

[DocWils]

There is no strong evidence about weight gain from using a mask - if anything, the opposite, theoretically. I, too, have gained a bit, but it may well be that my appetite is "healthier" than pre-cpap. The best answer is to be dead sure that your caloric intake has not increased and your caloric outgo has not decreased somehow. There is alas, no real useful literature on any of this, but current thinking is that apnoea leads to weight gain, relief from it eventually leads to decrease, but it may take a period of adjustment first.