The studies are not entirely clear but it does seem that weight loss can result in a loss of fat in the tongue just as weight gain can cause an increase in tongue fat. The tongue stabilizing device tsd is touted as an alternative oral appliance treatment for snoring and sleep apnea.
The participants with sleep apnea had significantly larger tongues tongue fat and percentage of tongue fat than those without sleep apnea the researchers found.
Large tongue sleep apnea. A study in the journal sleep found that increased fat not only makes the tongue larger but also impairs its muscle function making it more likely to sag and block the airway. During sleep forceful pressure of the tongue against the teeth or anterior movement to subconsciously open the airway. It s well known that a big tongue increases the risk of sleep apnea.
The most common cause for snoring sleep apnea is a nasal or sinus condition that reduces the nasal airflow. Small maxilla upper jaw bone relative to the rest of your face. A large tongue is a well established risk factor for sleep apnea a breathing disorder that causes hypertension and increases your risk of heart disease stroke and other problems how can you tell if your tongue size is larger than normal.
Tongue enlargement is the second most common cause. If you have sleep apnea and an enlarged tongue you would still start with cpap. Weight loss is known to help ease the condition schwab said but the precise pathways are not completely clear.
That brought up the question of whether losing tongue fat improves sleep apnea. A large tongue can cause snoring sleep apnea. By phreshapps february 16 2017 october 13th 2017 dental sleep management dentists sleep medicine.
List of 85 causes for large tongue and sleep apnea alternative diagnoses rare causes misdiagnoses patient stories and much more. But my abnormally large tongue has cost me thousands of dollars and nearly ruined my life. A large tongue does not guarantee someone would have sleep apnea but it can be a reason for it.
I shouldn t have sleep apnea. With your mouth wide open stick your tongue out all the way while looking in a mirror. It is a small piece of plastic that sits at your lips and resembles a large pacifier with a hole into which you can insert your tongue.
My oversized tongue is ruining my life. A marker for sleep apnea.
