How Sinus Issues Affect Your Weight

Are you eating right and exercising and still finding that you’re struggling with your weight? How are your sinuses? Weight gain or inability to lose weight is not often talked about as a side effect of sinusitis, but there is a connection. In this blog, we’re going to look at how the two are related.

Good sleep is an essential component of feeling healthy and unfortunately, sinusitis doesn’t always let you get the zzzz’s you need. Here are two ways that this lack of sleep will affect your weight.

1. Fatigue: The congestion and headache that come with sinusitis can also make you feel groggy and irritable. And unfortunately, too often when we lack energy and are grouchy, we make poor decisions when it comes to eating or exercise. The more often this happens, the more difficult it is to get back to healthy lifestyle choices, including the ways to keep your weight at bay.
2. Sleep Apnea: Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when a blockage in your nose or throat prevents you from breathing freely as you sleep. Sometimes sinusitis is the cause of that blockage. That said, no matter what causes it, sleep apnea wreaks havoc on your metabolism, which in turn wreaks havoc on your weight.

Common sinus medication definitely has its advantages, but like any type of meds, there are some downsides. Below are some examples:

1. Decongestants may make you feel drowsy and fatigued (see above)
2. Corticosteroids often cause trouble sleeping and irritability, salt and water retention, an increase in appetite and weight gain

You see where we’re going with this.

Of course, you don’t necessarily have to lose weight to be healthy. However, if you are trying unsuccessfully or even unexpectedly gaining, get your sinuses checked out.

The expert doctors at CT Sinus Center can help. Here, we know everything there is to know about diagnosing and treating all the side effects of sinusitis. When you come in, we’ll take the extra time to really talk to you about your struggles, symptoms and medical history before we do anything else. Then after we get to the root of the problem, we’ll develop a treatment plan that is right for you. If you do have sinusitis, you could be the perfect candidate for balloon sinuplasty, a non-invasive, in-office procedure that has few (if any) side effects and no downtime.

Call 860-BALLOON to make your appointment at one CT Sinus Center’s three conveniently-located offices – Kent and Waterbury. There’s no reason to “weight” any more.

For additional information on sinus-related conditions or treatments, read more about CT Sinus Center and take a look at our blog.