Even among those of relatively normal weight, obstructive sleep apnea may be to blame in up to half of those who complain of excessive daytime sleepiness.
Researchers examined the records of more than 28,500 patients who underwent polysomnography. They found that 54% of normal weight individuals were diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea. This disorder is commonly associated with the overweight and obese, so it was surprisingly that so many of normal weight were afflicted. These individuals did tend to have less severe disease, as measured by the AHI.
This suggests that even thin or normal weight individuals who complain of excessive daytime sleepiness should be evaluated for obstructive sleep apnea as a potential cause of their symptoms.
Source:
Yeligulashvili, T. Obstructive sleep apnea in non-obese patients: age, gender and severity. SLEEP 2009; 32: A186.
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Thank you for finally saying this. I get odd looks all the time when I say that I have sleep apnea. I’m 5′4″ and 130 lbs. I have both central and obstructive sleep apnea. I’d like to know if you have any more research into central sleep apnea. I haven’t found anything that is helpful, but do believe that it is partly genetic, as my mother has the same thing. Thanks again for your blog!