GLP-1 Drugs Might Help Quell Sleep Apnea

Key TakeawaysGLP-1 drugs might help some people with sleep apneaPeople with obesity and type 2 diabetes taking a GLP-1 drug were less likely to need a CPAP machine to sleepThey also had a lower risk of death or hospitalization.MONDAY, Jan. 5, 2026 (HealthDay News) — A good night’s sleep might be an additional benefit some gain from taking weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Zepbound, a new study says.Obese patients with type 2 diabetes are less likely to need a CPAP machine to treat sleep apnea if they’re taking a GLP-1 drug, researchers recently reported in JAMA Network Open.Patients were also less likely to die or require hospitalization when taking GLP-1 drugs, the study found.“These findings align with recent randomized clinical trials showing that (GLP-1 drugs), especially tirzepatide, improved obstructive sleep apnea severity, potentially through weight loss and metabolic or respiratory mechanisms,” wrote the team led by senior researcher Yong Chen, a professor of biostatistics at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine in Philadelphia.Sleep apnea occurs when the muscles in the back of the throat relax, causing a person’s airway to collapse. These folks tend to snore and if the airway collapses completely, their breathing can start and stop throughout the night, causing them to repeatedly wake.Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machines blow air through a face mask as a person sleeps. The air pressure prevents the person’s airways from closing.For the study, researchers analyzed the medical records of more than 93,000 people with obesity, type 2 diabetes and sleep apnea who had been prescribed a GLP-1 drug.Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) drugs mimic the GLP-1 hormone, which helps control insulin and blood sugar levels, decreases appetite and slows digestion of food. The most well-known are semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound).The research team compared the outcomes of patients on GLP-1 drugs against those taking another type of diabetes drug called sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors, or SGLT2Is.After an average follow-up of nearly a year, people taking GLP-1 drugs were 8% less likely to need a CPAP machine to help treat their sleep apnea, results showed.They also were 32% less likely to die from any cause, and 10% less likely to be hospitalized."This study is supportive of what we're all experiencing” when it comes to GLP-1 drugs, Dr. Gary Wohlberg, director of Northwell Health’s South Shore University Hospital Sleep Lab, said in a news release.“They're helping patients in a number of ways with health,” said Wohlberg, who was not involved in the study. “Weight loss helps with diabetes. It may help in cardiac disease, and there's a possibility that there's a more direct effect on the airway. We still need to have CPAP as our first line, but this is supportive of what we're experiencing.”GLP-1 drugs probably help people’s sleep apnea by helping them lose fat, Wohlberg said.“When you have a lot of fatty tissue and it's pretty much everywhere, it narrows vessels and airways. The airway becomes more collapsible,” Wohlberg said. “When I'm talking to patients, I principally say, ‘Look. You have a lot of fatty tissues. Your airway is also lined with that extra fatty tissue, and therefore it is more easily collapsed when the muscles that hold the airway open go to sleep when you go to sleep.’ "People also might help avoid sleep apnea by changing their sleeping position, he added.“Sleep apnea is generally worse if you're in the supine position with your mouth up because your jaw and your tongue will drop back and do the occlusion,” Wohlberg said. “Rather than sleeping flat on your back, you can be propped up a little bit or sleep on your side."More informationThe National Institutes of Health has more on sleep apnea.SOURCES: JAMA Network Open, Dec. 22, 2025; Northwell Health, news release, Dec. 22, 2025 .What This Means For YouPeople with obesity and sleep apnea should ask their doctor if GLP-1 drugs might help them sleep better..Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter

GLP-1 Drugs Might Help Quell Sleep Apnea

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