Are you waking up just as wiped out as you were the night before? Has your significant other grown “tired” of your loud and excessive snoring? Bad news; you may be suffering from sleep apnea. And while it can affect anyone, the overweight and/or obese are definitely at risk for this condition.

However, a new study had determined that bariatric surgery, while extremely beneficial for your overall health, may have little or no effect on alleviating sleep apnea. Generally, patients undergoing these procedures believe that they’ll be relieved, and even  cured, of their obstructive sleep apnea. For those afflicted with this condition, breathing may briefly stop  several times per night during sleep.

The study, published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, involved 24 severely obese adults afflicted with obstructive sleep apnea. Before undergoing weight loss surgery, these subjects were required to spend a night at a Walter Reed Army Medical Center sleep lab in Washington, D.C. They then spent another night in the sleep lab one year later.

It was shown that one year after undergoing surgery, the subjects’ average body mass indices (BMI) were reduced from 51 to 32. They were still considered “obese,” but much less than that of their pre-surgery levels. Unfortunately, only one patient was shown to be free of obstructive sleep apnea one year later. Some patients did experience relief for some of their symptoms. But these symptoms were not relieved enough to completely remove the sleep apnea.

In addition, one year after surgery, all of the subjects still required continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machines, in order to breathe well while sleeping at night. It was found that only six subjects utilized their machines; the researchers feel that this was because once the subjects reported less snoring, they quit using the machines. With CPAP machines, patients wear a mask while sleeping that blows compressed air into the nasal passages. This enables breathing to be free and clear, and can eliminate loud snoring.

Above all else, the researchers and other medical experts want it to be known that obstructive sleep apnea treatments will still be needed following weight loss surgery. They also advise that patients should NOT stop using their CPAP machines, unless their physician is positive that their sleep apnea is gone.