hi,i am a 20 year old black male.i didnt start gaining weight til the end of my sophmore year in highschool.i didnt really start snoring til my senior year.right now i'd say i'm 6'0,between roughly 280-330 pounds.i have asthma also.i used to play sports,and i try to stay active on a regular basis.i dont eat too many meals a day which i know is bad for me.heres the deal;i have been told i can wake the dead with my snoring,they say i stop breathing sometimes.i get sleepy sometimes during the day only if i've been sitting down not doing nothing for most of the day,or had nothing to eat.when this happen i tend to dose off but me not trying to,i hear myself snore n i quickly wake up.sometimes if i sleep on my stomach my chest seems to hurt ,but it stops shortly after i switch positions(used to be only way i could sleep).i've been to the doctor n been told i need to lose weight b/c i might have sleep apnea.but the thing is i really dont eat alot,but like 2 times a day n i make one meal count for 2,but lately i been working and having to eat alot of fast food which i have cut down on as well,i eat fruit.can someone explain any of this to me,besides me snoring,shortness of breath,i can sleep through th whole night.do i have it bad enough i need to take the sleep test.will breathe right strips help out a little.thanks

Hi,

You have every right and reason to be concerned.  This is your health you're talking about.

I think it's important that you get tested for sleep apnea, the full study, for many reasons.
If in fact you do have sleep apnea, then it could well explain the weight increases and treatment could help you lose without compromising your health or starving yourself.  People often experience unexplained weight gain with untreated sleep apnea.  The biggest reason for it is because of reduced activity due to daytime exhaustion.  But that's not entirely it.  There may be some hormonal process being affected.  I may be wrong, but there could also be some metabolism problem.  Often people with sleep apnea have other health problems and one common one involves the thyroid.  If you haven't already, I would suggest you get tested too by your regular doctor, standard blood work for the usual things including thyroid.  I had thyroid problems that I was unaware of, before treatment for sleep apnea.  After treatment, the problem disappeared after a few months.  I no longer need the medication.  

And you may be aware that some young athletes  have sleep apnea.  Some of this may be due to a combination of throat and muscular structure.  You just never know.  I hope you can be tested.  The full sleep study tests many bodily functions, so if it is not sleep apnea, the test can help the doctors check for other things.  


You didn't need to mention it, but you said you are a black male.  I worry about that segment of our community.  I moderate here and I have also started a local support group for sleep apnea.  Very few participants are black, yet I am fully aware that this condition affects every segment of our society, our country and even around the world.  Not everyone uses computers like you and I, and not everyone has the time to attend groups even if there were one in their area.  So if it turns out you do have sleep apnea, anything you can do to help educate your friends and family would be so beneficial.  We like to encourage people to talk about it, because so often talking about it ends up helping someone else, because this is such a misunderstood condition.  I've seen it time and again.

Just remember, this is a breathing disorder, not a sleeping disorder.  It happens to occur when you sleep.  It is a serious condition.  It can lead to stroke,  heart attack and death, if untreated.  Noone wishes you have sleep apnea.  You are young, you need to find out for sure.  And if you are lucky enough not to have sleep apnea, then you need to continue to check out your health.  

Keep us informed, if you don't mind.
And you might consider registering as a member.  It's easy, free and safe.  You needn't, and you can always post as a guest, but registering gets you some real handy extra features.  But regardless, do get yourself checked out.  We need you healthy, young man!!
 


Linda

thanks i will be sure to call my doctor as soon as i get a chance