Being overweight or obese can cause a number of negative health issues, including heart disease and diabetes. However, if you’re carrying a few extra pounds and having difficulty sleeping at night, it’s entirely possible that sleep apnea may be to blame.

Sleep apnea, a condition that causes interruption in breathing during sleep, can be difficult to overcome. However, according to a new study reported by FYI Living, obese men with sleep apnea who lost an average of 25 pounds over the course of a year experienced a dramatic improvement in their condition.

This study, which analyzed 63 obese men between 30 and 65 years of age, measured a number of factors, including the number of times a person’s breathing was interrupted per hour at the baseline, again after nine weeks and finally after 52 weeks.

Researchers have reported that after the diet, participants with severe problems showed more improvement than those with milder sleep apnea and that those who lost more weight showed a larger improvement after the diet.

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Wouldn’t it be great if you could just shed unwanted pounds while you slept soundly in your bed each night? It might sound far-fetched, but according to Dr. Michael Breus it is entirely possible. In fact, he recently shared this idea of a “sleep diet” with Glamour Magazine, and together they did a study on a group of women to see how much weight they really could lose while catching their Zs. The results were quite remarkable. The women were encouraged not to change their diet or exercise habits, and instead get a solid 7.5 hours of sleep each night. Ten weeks later, the women had lost anywhere from three to 15 pounds! Dr. Breus says everyone was quite surprised, some were really shocked and some enjoyed significantly more energy.
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As more of our population become obese and overweight, obesity diseases become much more prevalent. Diabetes is one such disease, and here I explain what it is, why it affects the overweight, symptoms and prevention.

What is it?
Sleep apnea is a sleeping and breathing disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts, which has the potential to be fatal.  There are two main types of sleep apnea: 1) obstructive and 2) central (or you could have a combo of the two, which is known as complex sleep apnea).  Obstructive sleep apnea is the more common form that occurs when throat muscles relax, whereas central sleep apnea occurs when your brain does not send the proper signals to the muscles that control your breathing.

Why is it affected by obesity/overweight?
Excessive weight and fat deposits around your upper airway seen with obesity may obstruct your breathing and lead to sleep apnea.  It is important to keep in mind that not everyone who has sleep apnea is overweight.
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