Sleep Apnea Neck Size question

by Shara
(Canada)

I feel very tired after every sleep and I think it's because I'm overweight. It's true that if I have a large neck circumference I have problems in sleep? Can it be sleep apnea?

Thank you!

Answer

Hello Sarah,

Many patients with obstructive sleep apnea have a large neck size, because of their obesity. If you gain weight, your neck size gets thicker and your airway is getting smaller.

As you can realize, with a smaller aperture of your airway, you will have problems with your breathing in sleep. The muscles surrounded by fat starts to relax during sleep, blocking your airways.

It was observed that men with a neck larger than 17 inches have obstructive sleep apnea. Women have sleep apnea if the neck is larger than 16 inches.

I have few information about your condition, but if you said you are overweight, then the best solution for you is weight loss. And try to sleep on your side, rather on your back. This is called positional therapy. If you want to learn more about positional therapy click here.

If you don't have enough motivation for losing weigh, you should try a CPAP machine or dental devices. CPAP is expensive, but is the most common treatment for sleep apnea.

I hope it helps. Good luck!

Remy