sleep apnea and weight gain

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a commonly occurring sleep disorder that involves frequent and long pauses in breathing during sleep, usually will lead to severely disturbed and very fragmented sleep. Approximately 80% of OSA patients weigh 130% or more of their ideal body weight and over 50% of patients who are obese have sleep apnea. Research shows that if you shorten or disturb sleep, you increase your appetite for high-calorie dense foods. Many hormones secreted in your body are responsible for controlling appetite and feeling full. Two hormones that are affected by disturbed sleep and OSA are Ghrelin, which stimulates appetite, causing you to eat and Leptin which suppresses appetite and stimulates energy expenditure. When sleep is restricted or interrupted, Ghrelin levels go up and Leptin levels go down. This leads to consumption of high-calorie foods, likely leading to increased pounds around the belly and thus the vicious cycle of more weight gain and worsening sleep apnea. Dr. Avi