Losing weight helps

500,000 Austrians suffer from sleep apnoea

Studies show that weight loss can significantly alleviate the symptoms of sleep apnea.(Bild: sbw19 - stock.adobe.com)

Sleep apnoea is characterized by repeated interruptions in breathing during sleep and, in addition to daytime tiredness and difficulty concentrating, also leads to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. 500,000 Austrians are affected by sleep apnea, which is around eight percent of the population. 

Men suffer from it more often than women, and the risk increases with age. Obesity is one of the main risk factors for sleep apnea. Weight reduction can therefore significantly alleviate the symptoms and in some cases even cure the condition.

Narrowing of the airways
Obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS) is the most common form of sleep apnoea and a serious sleep-related breathing disorder. It is a serious sleep-related breathing disorder in which the relaxation of muscles and soft tissue during sleep repeatedly leads to a narrowing or even complete closure of the upper airways.

Hundreds of "pauses" per night
"The result is pauses in breathing that can last from many seconds to minutes. These repeated pauses in breathing can occur hundreds of times during a night, which leads to a considerable impairment of sleep quality," explains Lukasz Antoniewicz, head of the Sleep-Related Breathing Disorders expert group of the Austrian Society of Pneumology.

• The most common symptoms of sleep apnoea are loud, irregular snoring, waking up at night with shortness of breath or a feeling of suffocation, daytime tiredness, difficulty concentrating and morning headaches. In addition to the symptoms mentioned, sleep apnoea can have serious consequences and lead to high blood pressure, cardiac arrhythmia, heart attacks, strokes and depression.

• The most common treatment method for sleep apnoea is positive pressure therapy. This involves wearing a special breathing mask, known as a PAP mask, during sleep. It creates a slight positive pressure in the airways to keep them open and prevent breathing stops. However, many people find the mask uncomfortable.

Losing weight helps
Studies show that losing weight can significantly alleviate the symptoms of sleep apnoea. Losing weight reduces the number of breathing interruptions, improves the quality of sleep and lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Antoniewicz: "A weight reduction of just ten to 15 percent can reduce the number of breathing interruptions per hour by half on average. In some cases, weight loss can even lead to a complete cure for sleep apnea."