Tips for Improving Your Metabolic Health With OSA
Ready to take action? “Focusing on a healthy lifestyle can improve your OSA and metabolic health,” says Ho. These steps can support metabolic health if you have OSA.
1. Find Substitutes for Processed Food
“See if there are processed foods that you can decrease or cut out from your diet and find healthier replacements that perhaps have less processed sugars or saturated fats or more dietary fiber,” says Ho. Eating healthfully (with foods low in saturated fat, sodium, and sugar) can stabilize blood sugar and improve heart health.
2. Set a Movement Goal
“Find enjoyable ways you can move more and set a realistic and achievable goal around this activity that you can maintain long term, even during busy weeks,” says Ho. That could be starting small with 10 minutes of activity two to three days a week. The more achievable, the better!
3. Check Out Food Labels
“Evaluate your energy intake — both from a total caloric intake and a quality of energy perspective,” suggests Ho. You’ll want to make sure you’re within your calorie range for the day (an app that tracks calories can help) and that you’re choosing nutritious foods. “Looking at nutrition labels will help with this,” Ho adds.
For more individualized calorie and nutrition intake advice, consider working with a registered dietitian nutritionist, which you can find at Eatright.org.
4. Ask if Tirzepatide Is Right for You
“Tirzepatide addresses obesity, which is an important underlying driver of OSA in many patients, and its benefits develop gradually with weight loss,” says Tu.
5. Keep Up Your OSA Treatment
A CPAP machine, for example, can lower a person’s stress hormones and blood pressure (in addition to helping a person have fewer night wakings).
For a patient with metabolic syndrome, these benefits can reinforce each other.
