Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea is more than snoring
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) makes your breathing stop and start again and again while you sleep. It is common and often goes undiagnosed. It can affect your energy, your mood and your long-term heart health. We can help you get assessed, and if you live with obesity, we can add weight management to your care.
HOW WE CAN HELP
Think you might have OSA? We can arrange a referral to a sleep clinic we work with.
Already diagnosed? We provide medical weight management that works alongside your sleep specialist’s treatment.
UNDERSTAND OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA
What happens during OSA
With OSA, the upper airway repeatedly narrows or becomes blocked during sleep, interrupting breathing. Each pause can lower the oxygen in your blood and briefly wake your brain, often without you noticing. Weight is one factor that can contribute, but not the only one.
Adapted from “Sleep apnea” by Osmosis, via Wikimedia Commons. Excerpt: 00:27–01:27, trimmed and converted to MP4. Original and adapted clip licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Common signs of OSA
- Restless sleep: Tossing, turning, or sudden jerky body movements.
- Loud snoring: Often chronic and disruptive, though not everyone who snores has sleep apnea.
- Breathing pauses: Times when breathing stops and starts, usually noticed by a bed partner.
- Gasping or choking: Waking up abruptly with a shortness of breath or a choking sensation.
- Daytime sleepiness: Feeling unusually sleepy during the day or struggling to stay awake, even after a full night in bed.
- Morning headaches: Waking up with a headache.
Symptoms alone don’t confirm sleep apnea. Only a sleep assessment can diagnose it.
WHY IT MATTERS
How sleep apnea affects your health
Sleep apnea can affect your energy, concentration and quality of life. Left untreated, it is also linked to serious long-term health problems.
Heart health
Sleep apnea can put extra strain on your heart and blood vessels. It is linked to high blood pressure and a higher risk of heart disease, irregular heartbeat and stroke.
Blood sugar and diabetes
Sleep apnea is linked to insulin resistance, which means your body responds less effectively to the hormone that regulates blood sugar. This can contribute to higher blood sugar levels and make diabetes harder to manage.
Mood and concentration
Disrupted sleep can affect how you feel and think during the day. Sleep apnea is linked to low mood, difficulty concentrating and memory problems, which can make everyday tasks feel harder.
Daytime alertness and safety
Sleep apnea can leave you feeling sleepy during the day, even after a full night in bed. This can make it harder to stay alert and increases the risk of accidents when driving or working.
DID YOU KNOW?
About 1 in 4
Canadian adults aged 45 to 85 are estimated to have moderate to severe OSA.
More than 9 in 10
people at high risk have never been diagnosed.
3× the collision rate
In an Ontario study, drivers with untreated sleep apnea had three times the collision rate of matched drivers. After CPAP treatment, their rate fell to a similar level.
The first step is an assessment.
Treatment can improve sleep and reduce daytime sleepiness, helping you feel better and function better during the day.
How weight management affects your health
WHERE WEIGHT MANAGEMENT FITS IN
Part of the plan, not a replacement
Excess weight is one of the main risk factors for OSA. Body fat around the neck and upper airway can make the airway more likely to narrow or close during sleep. In one long-term study, losing 10% of body weight was linked to about 26% fewer breathing pauses per hour of sleep.
If you live with obesity, weight management can be one part of your OSA care. MWM provides medical treatment for obesity and dietitian-led behavioural support, working alongside the treatment your sleep specialist has prescribed.
Keep using your prescribed treatment. Weight management doesn’t replace it, and it can’t guarantee OSA will resolve. Talk to your care team before making changes.
HOW MWM FITS
We provide: medical weight management for adults living with
obesity.
We work alongside: your sleep specialist and doctor, who diagnose and treat your sleep apnea.
Care that works together
Your sleep apnea care
Your sleep specialist and primary care doctor guide your assessment, treatment and ongoing sleep apnea care.
Your weight management care with MWM
Your MWM physician and registered dietitian support you with medical treatment and behavioural strategies for weight management.
Working alongside your prescribed sleep apnea treatment.
YOUR NEXT STEP
Choose the route that fits you
Think you might have OSA?
Start with Assessment
If you have symptoms of sleep apnea, we can help you take the next step. As part of your MWM care, our team can arrange a referral to a sleep clinic we work with. Their team can assess your symptoms and determine whether a home sleep apnea test is appropriate for you.
Diagnosed with OSA
Add weight management to your care
Learn how MWM supports adults living with obesity, then book a call with our team to see if the program fits your plan.
COMMON QUESTIONS
Questions about sleep apnea and weight
Speak with your primary care doctor about symptoms such as loud snoring, breathing pauses noticed by someone else, or daytime sleepiness. They can assess your symptoms and arrange sleep testing when appropriate. MWM patients can also ask our team for a referral to a sleep clinic we work with. Symptoms alone cannot confirm a diagnosis.
Take the next step for your sleep health.
Think you might have OSA? Speak to our team about an assessment. Already diagnosed? Book a call to add weight management to your care.