Interventions for People Living with Overweight/ Obesity and Obstructive Sleep Apnoea

Obesity is a major independent risk factor for obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), affecting approximately 74% of adults with obesity. Although weight loss can modestly improve OSA severity, it is difficult to sustain and rarely curative. While excess adiposity increases upper airway collapsibility, non-anatomical physiological traits also contribute to OSA, and their response to obesity and weight loss remains unclear. This thesis examines how obesity interventions influence OSA physiology and how OSA may, in turn, promote obesity. It comprises a literature review, three experimental studies (bariatric surgery, exercise, and lifestyle intervention), and a concluding discussion.