Serious question here but has anyone feel they have developed sleep apnea from gaining mass from lifting? How common is sleep apnea to lifters in general?
Did getting bigger made the condition worse? Did losing weight make it go away completely? I’m asking in all honesty as I think I have hit the ceiling in terms of getting comfortably bigger (for my height, weight & general well-being) & the added mass is now a liability to some degree in terms of getting adequate rest & sleep.
I’m already on a CPAP machine which I don’t use too regularly as it never seems to stay on right but I figure getting down to serious business & focusing on weight loss/increased cardio will help my situation. I’m worried about a vicious cycle in that I work long hours, then go to the gym = have horrible sleep quality, then repeat.
For the record I am 5’7 - 5’8, large framed, recently weighed myself at around 240 lbs. (I know, too heavy for my height) and am seriously considering tonsillectomy (might be drastic) as an option to relieve this apnea condition.
Can any other lifters in the same/similar boat share some info/advice/ideas? It would be greatly appreciated.
Serious question here but has anyone feel they have developed sleep apnea from gaining mass from lifting? How common is sleep apnea to lifters in general?
Did getting bigger made the condition worse? Did losing weight make it go away completely? I’m asking in all honesty as I think I have hit the ceiling in terms of getting comfortably bigger (for my height, weight & general well-being) & the added mass is now a liability to some degree in terms of getting adequate rest & sleep.
I’m already on a CPAP machine which I don’t use too regularly as it never seems to stay on right but I figure getting down to serious business & focusing on weight loss/increased cardio will help my situation. I’m worried about a vicious cycle in that I work long hours, then go to the gym = have horrible sleep quality, then repeat.
For the record I am 5’7 - 5’8, large framed, recently weighed myself at around 240 lbs. (I know, too heavy for my height) and am seriously considering tonsillectomy (might be drastic) as an option to relieve this apnea condition.
Can any other lifters in the same/similar boat share some info/advice/ideas? It would be greatly appreciated.[/quote]
There’s a thread (I think by Zephead?) about this, wasn’t that long ago… All the answers should be there.
Just use the search function.
#edit: The thread wasn’t by Zephead, now that I remember.
Some guy with a Frank McGrath avatar started it, I believe.
I’ve had it since I was a buck twenty. I’m almost 200 pounds now. If you can find a way to keep your head tilted up a bit without messing up your neck posture, it helps.
I have it. I had it for a while not knowing it. Just though I snored a lot. I did a sleep test and it turns out I have a BAD case of obstructive sleep apnea. My longest point of breathlessness during the study was > 1 minute.
I started using a CPAP and after a week I felt like a new person. It has contributed to increased gains, favorable changes in body comp, clearer head, etc. I think about how I felt before and I can’t believe it.
I don’t know how I got through years of undergrad, law school and working for a few years as an associate at a very large law firm without it. But I did.
Go get a sleep test. Sometimes it’s about losing 10-15 lbs., but sometimes it’s about the structure of your throat/nose, etc. and only a CPAP (or in some cases, surgery) will help.
[quote]Scott M wrote:
jaybvee wrote:
How common is sleep apnea to lifters in general?
.
VERY[/quote]
I remember reading on EliteFTS one time, might have been Team Supertraining, they had a competition going on among all the superheavies at the gym to see who stopped breathing the most in an hour at a sleep clinic.
My dad has it, he went to a sleep clinic to get diagnosed.
The sleep study then subsequent cpap changed my life for the better, once I drop more weight I will have another sleep study to see if I can drop the cpap. Also it works out cheaper at least for me to buy the cpap then pay the monthly copay for the rest of the time I use it.
There is an Aboriginal instrument (horn) and blowing on it strenghens the soft tissue in the throat. The stats on this therapy actually beat surgery which is not too successful.
Sleeping in a seated up position where your throat is 90 degrees with the floor is not easy but is effective. Found this out by falling asleep in an easy chair.
Don’t fuck around w/ SA it can lead to a host of problems that can KILL YOU ask Reggie White, oops you can’t.
Your primary care physician can refer you to a sleep specialist. The specialist will diagnose you and set you up for an overnight sleep study.
They instrument you with ECG, EEG and then expect you to get to sleep with wires all over you. Plus they have you on camera. Once they see the breathing problems are Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), they’ll put you on a remote control CPAP machine and send you back to sleep so they can figure out how much pressure you need.
My specialist recommended getting it redone about every three years to check the pressure.
My first sleep study was probably the best thing I ever did.
I’ll add my 2 cents. I had a sleep apnea test, and then got fitted with the device. Seemed to help a bit. A week later, I was at a restaurant telling my son about it, when a guy sitting next to us told me he was a doctor in a sleep clinic, and that in most cases, losing weight really is the most effective way to improve the apnea.
He did say that he thought the sleep clinics don’t mention the weight issue hardly at all (not a word about weight in my interview) and he guessed if I lost about 12 pounds, it would be greatly improved. I lost the weight and yes indeed, though I still snore, I’m told by my GF (who got me into the sleep test to begin with) that the halting breathing doesnt happen. That’s at least my experience. You may still need the cpap machine, but losing weight (fat) goes a long way in improving it!
[quote]AlanAlpha wrote:
I’ll add my 2 cents. I had a sleep apnea test, and then got fitted with the device. Seemed to help a bit. A week later, I was at a restaurant telling my son about it, when a guy sitting next to us told me he was a doctor in a sleep clinic, and that in most cases, losing weight really is the most effective way to improve the apnea.
He did say that he thought the sleep clinics don’t mention the weight issue hardly at all (not a word about weight in my interview) and he guessed if I lost about 12 pounds, it would be greatly improved. I lost the weight and yes indeed, though I still snore, I’m told by my GF (who got me into the sleep test to begin with) that the halting breathing doesnt happen. That’s at least my experience. You may still need the cpap machine, but losing weight (fat) goes a long way in improving it![/quote]
We italians have fat necks. Do you think getting in the sub 15% range would help? I’m stronger then I’ve ever been at ~20%. But longevity is more important
Zephead Skip and Dante over at IM have been talking about sleep apnea a lot lately… Dante had to bring his weight down to be able to sleep on his back, Skip’s suggestion was for people to stay leaner in their off season.
[quote]Scott M wrote:
Zephead Skip and Dante over at IM have been talking about sleep apnea a lot lately… Dante had to bring his weight down to be able to sleep on his back, Skip’s suggestion was for people to stay leaner in their off season.
As an individual who used to have OSA and who works in a sleep clinic, I can confirm a lot of what has been mentioned above.
My OSA was “treated” by use of CPAP, which aided me in losing weight, which led that condition to ameliorate itself.
That said, OSA can be caused by a lot of factors, not just weight. For example, in some people’s upper airway anatomy makes them more predisposed to it.
From my observations of having worked in the field, a good majority, but not all patients who are referred for sleep tests tend to be overweight/obese. The doctors I work with doctors tell this to patients all the time–though some patients don’t like to hear it–and will let you know as much.
That said, weight loss in and of itself may not always cause OSA to disappear in some patients–however, weight loss most often leads to a decrease in the severity of the condition.
While there is no “cure” for OSA, CPAP is considered the top recommendation for treatment of the condition. In some patients, upper airway surgery and/or dental devices may work–but the research has shown that CPAP is the most effective treatment modality.
If anyone (in the US) is looking for a sleep clinic to have a test done at, you can find one accredited one accredited one at: http://www.sleepcenters.org
hey zephead, I’m not italian, but I married into italian, I never noticed italians have fat necks! I’d say 20% bodyfat might really be contributing to a problem, but like what’s been said, best to get it checked at a sleep center. I wouldn’t say its fun, but its an interesting experience…and no needles, its all sticky pads all over your body.
[quote]AlanAlpha wrote:
hey zephead, I’m not italian, but I married into italian, I never noticed italians have fat necks! I’d say 20% bodyfat might really be contributing to a problem, but like what’s been said, best to get it checked at a sleep center. I wouldn’t say its fun, but its an interesting experience…and no needles, its all sticky pads all over your body.[/quote]
Yeah, I’ll be working my way down the scale I guess. fuck.
Definitely ask you GP for a referral to an ear, nose, & throat specialist to check you out for breathing obstructions. I had sleep apnea but weight wasn’t at all the issue. It was a throat tissue problem (tonsils & uvula). My surgery took one week of hell for recovery followed by another week of mere discomfort. But my sleep’s been a dream (literally) ever since! …And I’d take a that two weeks of pain over a lifetime hooked to a CPAP.