ARE SLEEP PROBLEMS MAKING YOU FAT?

WHILE we know that sleep apnoea is strongly associated with obesity, it may also be that sleep apnoea actually contributes to weight gain.

The brief drops in oxygen levels have been shown to lessen the body’s response to insulin, the hormone that controls the breakdown and storage of glucose (the sugar in our blood).

This causes insulin resistance, the first step in the development of diabetes.

Sleep apnoea also influences the levels of two hormones called leptin and ghrelin, important for the regulation of appetite and metabolism.

So it may be that sleep apnoea in itself increases calorie intake and how those calories are processed, predisposing to further weight gain.