Obesity Management Resources

The International Classification of Sleep Disorders (ICSD) describes a variety of associations between obesity and sleep disorders.

• The major predisposing factor for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in adults is excess body weight. In the pediatric population, obesity may be a more important risk factor for OSA in older children and adolescents but is also relevant in younger children.
• Snoring is a cardinal symptom of OSA. Snoring is most common in adult men and is also linked to obesity. 
• Obesity hypoventilation syndrome is characterized by obesity and daytime hypercapnia, which worsens during sleep and is often associated with severe arterial oxygen desaturation. The majority of these patients have comorbid OSA.
• Epidemiological studies have shown that obesity is common in narcolepsy type 1. Around disease onset, an unexplained increase in body weight is often observed, particularly when disease onset is more acute, as is often the case in children. 
• Night shift work is associated with obesity; women are affected more than men. 
• Adverse health consequences of sleep-related eating disorder (SRED) include obesity (including morbid obesity resulting in bariatric surgery). SRED may complicate the postoperative course of patients undergoing bariatric surgery.
• The most common symptoms of sleep-related gastroesophageal reflux are heartburn and regurgitation, and predictors of heartburn during sleep include the presence of abdominal obesity. 
• Truncal-abdominal obesity may further contribute to the likelihood of sleep-related myocardial ischemia/infarction.