Bariatric surgery may significantly reduce breathing interruptions
during sleep, according to two recent studies. Sleep apnea is one of
the risk factors for cardiovascular disease and also causes snoring.
In case of obese people, during sleep, the throat muscles relax and the
fatty tissue around the neck temporarily narrow the airway. When the
muscles are entirely relaxed, the airway sector may be completely
obstructed.
Both studies showed that bariatric surgery may have other benefits
besides weight loss and patients also improve their sleep quality. The
first study, conducted in Spain, involved thirty-one subjects who had
an initial BMI averaged forty-seven and suffered from sleep apnea.
Almost
half of the participants had an apnea/hypo apnea index (AHI) higher
than fifteen, meaning they stop breathing for more than ten seconds for
more than fifteen times per hour. This may seem unimportant, but during
an eight-hour night, the participants may reach up to forty minutes
without breathing per night.
After the bariatric surgery, the
subjects had a BMI of up to thirty, and noticed improvements of their
sleep quality. The results also showed that participants no longer need
treatment for their sleep disturbances.
Plus, the American study showed that obese subject who
suffered a bariatric surgery may decrease their risk of metabolic
syndrome by reducing the levels of insulin resistance.
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