Comment by arcticbull

This is not a comprehensive response to your question but 41% of patients with BMI over 28 have sleep apnea, and that number grows to 78% by the time you get referred for bariatric surgery.

There is in fact a mathematical relationship. [1]

> For every 7-pounds drop in weight, expect a 7% drop in [apnea severity index].

It's basically caused by tongue fat, pharyngeal/neck fat and visceral/fat in the upper belly. [2]

I strongly suspect it's just a question of how much weight you lose. If you get down to 15% body fat you really won't have apnea anymore. Not for everyone, there's probably some structural issues that can also cause it, but if it's adiposity-induced, which it is for a huge number of people...

For the rest with skeletal or nasal structure issues, surgery may be appropriate.

[1] https://jcsm.aasm.org/doi/10.5664/jcsm.10190

[2] https://www.pennmedicine.org/news/news-releases/2020/january...