Weight gain makes sleep apnea worse?

Yes, because technically 5% is not 'insignificant' statistically. Put it this way: you are borderline apneic, you gain seven pounds, and that is enough to put your neck girth, or your adiposity where it matters most, over the proverbial top. And, guess what...you now have sufficient occlusion or pressure on your breathing tube surfaces to deform it or to keep it from staying fully open when your head and neck are in certain positions, or when your tongue is further back when you sleep supine (on your back). I can't, and won't, say it's now the case because I have no idea who you are, what you are, how you sleep, and what else you're contending with that might be part of a cumulative burden of 'crappy sleep'. But weight gain, by itself CAN....MAY...cause you to go over a tipping point close to which you happened to be even three months ago.

That said, not all apneic sufferers are heavy or old. You'd be appalled a the incidence of young men, some of them rail thin, who now know they need treatment for OSA or CSA (obstructive sleep apnea or central sleep apnea). Or a mixture of them which is termed 'complex sleep apnea.'

Okay, that's just the apnea part. About napping: sorry, bro', that happens to the best of us. 😀 I am 72.5 in three hours as I type this, and have never napped, nor needed to. Honestly, I don't even rise at night to pee. Ever. As in .....never. But over the past two years, especially since I had a significant burden of atrial fibrillation, and was highly symptomatic (meaning I suffered emotionally and physically), I find myself incredibly sleepy at about 1900 hours. For the next 30 minutes, I have to close my eyes and go into twitch and mouth gape mode. Then, I'm good until I retire, typically around 0130 in the morning. I don't know if it's just my age (both my grandpas did it), or if I was going to be otherwise spared, but the atrial fibrillation put me over into old codger territory nap-wise.

If you have trouble staying awake and focused during conversations, or your eyes roll back at longer stop lights, then you may indeed have a sleep disorder or apnea, and you should really get it checked.

Yes, because technically 5% is not 'insignificant' statistically. Put it this way: you are borderline apneic, you gain seven pounds, and that is enough to put your neck girth, or your adiposity where it matters most, over the proverbial top. And, guess what...you now have sufficient occlusion or pressure on your breathing tube surfaces to deform it or to keep it from staying fully open when your head and neck are in certain positions, or when your tongue is further back when you sleep supine (on your back). I can't, and won't, say it's now the case because I have no idea who you are, what you are, how you sleep, and what else you're contending with that might be part of a cumulative burden of 'crappy sleep'. But weight gain, by itself CAN....MAY...cause you to go over a tipping point close to which you happened to be even three months ago.

That said, not all apneic sufferers are heavy or old. You'd be appalled a the incidence of young men, some of them rail thin, who now know they need treatment for OSA or CSA (obstructive sleep apnea or central sleep apnea). Or a mixture of them which is termed 'complex sleep apnea.'

Okay, that's just the apnea part. About napping: sorry, bro', that happens to the best of us. 😀 I am 72.5 in three hours as I type this, and have never napped, nor needed to. Honestly, I don't even rise at night to pee. Ever. As in .....never. But over the past two years, especially since I had a significant burden of atrial fibrillation, and was highly symptomatic (meaning I suffered emotionally and physically), I find myself incredibly sleepy at about 1900 hours. For the next 30 minutes, I have to close my eyes and go into twitch and mouth gape mode. Then, I'm good until I retire, typically around 0130 in the morning. I don't know if it's just my age (both my grandpas did it), or if I was going to be otherwise spared, but the atrial fibrillation put me over into old codger territory nap-wise.

If you have trouble staying awake and focused during conversations, or your eyes roll back at longer stop lights, then you may indeed have a sleep disorder or apnea, and you should really get it checked.