XERCISE, as referred
to above, is a primary component of every health program. Your mom
said when you were young, to get plenty of exercise, sunshine,
sleep, and to carefully choose your friends (lifestyle). Exercise
through the day, not only burns calories, but improves sleep. If you
have already crossed the line into the significantly obese group,
you may find it physically difficult to even initiate an exercise
program. Approximately 80% of the sleep patients referred to our
sleep laboratories are exactly this way: too heavy to even want to
exercise. They also have so much extra tissue in their neck and chin
areas that air does not pass normally while they sleep. They
therefore develop a condition, called sleep apnea. If you fall into
this category, the sleep abnormalities may be repaired with the use
of an external mask or surgical intervention, or an effective weight
program (Slimmer Success appears to be best so far). We strongly
recommend that sleep be repaired so that exercise can be
reestablished as part of your daily lifestyle. Incidentally, repair
of sleep apnea will simultaneously improve blood pressures, your sex
life, depression, and potential serious medical events, including,
most importantly, heart attacks and strokes. Therefore, we will
strongly encourage all patients to eliminate sleep abnormalities so
that they can improve almost every other aspect of daily living.