With the ability to diagnose sleep apnea more easily than in the past
many physicians have been noticing people whose soft palates are low,
making it more difficult to see the pharyngeal walls. When the pharynx
is not easily seen, it can be that the person is not elevating it well
(most trained singers do this naturally) or that it has a tendency to
fill in the pharynx. Combine this with being overweight, with fat
deposits filling in from behind, and the person might be a candidate for
sleep apnea. Sleep apnea can be associated with snoring and results in
poor sleep because the person awakens just as they go into deep sleep to
start to breathe. Note that snoring is NOT diagnostic of sleep apnea;
it is simply a symptom of it. Many snorers do not stop breathing (apnea
= not breathing).
Sleep apnea can result in feeling unrested in the AM and fatigue and
poor concentration during the day plus falling asleep at rest, such as,
when driving. It can also strain the heart if present for many years.
Regarding tension, I know people with muscular backache are helped with
weightloss. I can't say whether it affects tension in the voice.
John
John Messmer, M.D.
Assistant Professor, Family and Community Medicine
Penn State Hershey Medical Center
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Imthurn Melinda [mailto:mimthurn@y...]
> Sent: Saturday, September 14, 2002 4:50 PM
> To: vocalist-temporary@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: RE: [vocalist] RE: losing weight (Dr. John)
>
>
> I recall that on a recent Dr. visit my MD looked at my
> throat and then asked me if I had trouble breathing
> when I am sleeping. When I asked her why, she said
> there "wasn't a lot of space back there" because of my
> weight. I had other things on my mind and neglected
> to ask for more information on this. I am wondering
> if anyone (Doc?) can comment on this. Where was she
> talking about? And, if this does have any truth to
> it, would it mean that I would gain space by losing
> weight? I would assume that would affect my
> resonance.
>
> Also, as a separate issue, wouldn't losing weight help
> to relieve some muscle tension? For example, a person
> who carries a lot of weight in the stomach would find
> that by losing some weight their back muscles would
> hold less tension since they weren't being stressed by
> the extra weight.
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