posted Mon, 07/27/2026 - 12:14
165
Sleep Apnea and CPAP usage
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Those who have gained muscle and mass, guess prettty much mostt of you here, do you guys have sleep apnea and use CPAP on daily basis? I was having discussion with one of my friend and he said that most of the body builders gets sleep apena due to massive muscle size, eitther they use CPAP or some mouth guard. Is it that common?
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I use mine about every night. Went from 60 something episodes per hour to like 1 or 2 or something. The quality of sleep is a night and day difference. I actually wake rested, recovered, and ready to seize the carpe. I’ve had sleep apnea my whole life and I’ve been fat, skinny, and muscular and it’s always been present. There is a huge genetic factor there, and mass (fat or muscle) can exacerbate the problem, but they aren’t the sole cause.
Go have a sleep test done. You can even do them at home these days. A CPAP will change your life. I can't sleep without it now. When I did my test I had 38 apnea episodes an hour. With the CPAP I am down to 1 or 2 most nights.
Yep this. OP you may consider starting with a simple free snoring app on your phone. Download free app (bunch of them) plug phone in by your bed stand (set one up if needed tv tray etc) keep phone plugged in, pointed toward you, with app running. In the morning you can look at the graph and it will show you line graph and often colors too if/when many lines over threshold, you will see and hear yourself snoring and will know for sure w/out spending a dime or going to the doc (yet).
I use mine every night , I can’t even sleep right without it anymore . I feel so much better in the morning.
I use it every night, I've had it five years, don't notice it at all anymore, initially I would rip it off in my sleep without even realizing it, but my wife would smack me upside the head and forced me to put it back on because my snoring woke her up lol. Eventually, you get used to it, I did quickly with those circumstances lol.
I strap the pap most nights. Full face mask (mouth breather) took a long time to get used to it, now I don't leave home w/out (literally have another packed and ready to go) or even nap without it, although naps are mostly a thing of the past. If you need it, get it. You will thank yourself. Leaner, meaner, fuck like a young stud again, could start putting on muscle again...over 50 here in shape of my life could not be w/out the pap.
Your friend is likely referring to genetic freak, IFBB pro open bodybuilders commonly needing a cpap. I’m not yuuuge but when I get over 235 pounds or so, I start to get sleep interruptions and need to use the cpap. If you snore loudly and gasp for breath while sleeping then you should definitely get a sleep study. This can be as life saving as monitoring blood work and blood pressure.
I dont know one person who uses a cpap or bipap but at my nursing home there is 1 resident out of 98 and she uses a cpap and is a bariatric resident. Your buddy may live in a high cpap per capita area lol
There's a device you can get implanted so its non invasive and easier for the mate.
I think your friend is overstating it.
It’s true that sleep apnea becomes more common as people get bigger, but it’s not because they’re bodybuilders. Neck circumference, body fat, craniofacial anatomy, age, and genetics all play a role, not just muscle mass.
A neck circumference of 17”+ in men is generally considered a risk factor for obstructive sleep apnea, and that risk continues to increase as neck size gets larger. But that’s just one risk factor, not a diagnosis.
My neck has gone from 15.7” to 18.25” since I started TRT/cruise/blast, and I don’t have sleep apnea. On the other hand, one of my long-time friends has had sleep apnea for over 10 years despite never being particularly muscular at any point in his entire life.
If you snore loudly, wake up gasping, have excessive daytime sleepiness, morning headaches, or your partner notices you stop breathing at night, get a sleep study. CPAP can be life-changing for people who truly have obstructive sleep apnea.
I definitely wouldn’t assume “most bodybuilders” need CPAP just because they have more muscle. I haven’t seen evidence to support that claim. But I have seen evidence that non muscular men and obesity increase the incidence of sleep apnea considerably.
You nailed it brother! Size 17"neck is where it starts. From what I've been told during sleep study, it's almost all neck size. I've got it and it sucks.
I have to use one but I fucking can’t deal with the mask so I’ll usually fall asleep with it on but then at like 2am, I wake up to piss and say fuck the mask
I went through that for a long time. I still wake up without the mask on in the middle of the night with not recollection of taking it off. I’ve gotten better over time with putting it back on.
I've been using one since January and still sleep like shit. For what it's worth I paid out of pocket and did an at home test, I wouldn't be surprised if the company just lied to me so I would spend the 1200 on the machine. It's not uncomfortable or anything and I actually kind of like it but I haven't noticed any benefits.
Its fairly common. I use one and it makes a huge difference in sleep quality once you get used to it. Also, it stops one of the possible drivers of elevated hematocrit, stopped breathing at night isnt good. I know of a few guys who werent approved for CPAP after having sleep studies done, symptoms werent severe enough, but they still bought the machines. Every little bit of recovery helps, and good sleep is recovery.
Best to go and get a sleep study. That way insurance foots the bill (hopefully, dont know your situation) and you get the machine parameters set up based on the readings, not just asking AI