Researchers are investigating whether GLP-1 receptor agonists, commonly known as weight-loss drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy, could help those with sleep apnea. Experts at the University of Pittsburgh reviewed the recent medical literature on the matter, aiming to address the question of whether these medications could specifically help individuals with obstructive sleep apnea, a condition that affects almost 1 billion people worldwide. Obstructive sleep apnea, the most common sleep disorder, is characterized by repeated interruptions in breathing during sleep because of airway blockage, and the University of Pittsburgh researchers reported that the condition has been associated with cardiovascular disease, stroke, and increased mortality.
Their study also noted that obesity—identified as a body mass index of 30 or higher—is present in 60 to 70 percent of patients with the condition and that it "represents the primary modifiable risk factor," meaning that treatment aimed at obesity could in turn help those with obstructive sleep apnea. The study was published in the journal JAMA Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery on September 3. The researchers at the University of Pittsburgh conducted a comprehensive literature search of PubMed, Cochrane Library, ClinicalTrials.gov and Google Scholar from January 2016 through November 2025.
The search start date coincided with the publication of the SCALE Sleep Apnea trial, which the researchers said was the first randomized clinical trial of a GLP-1 receptor agonist specifically in patients with obstructive sleep apnea. The researchers noted that the Wisconsin Sleep Cohort Study found that a 10 percent gain in body weight was associated with a 32 percent increase in apnea-hypopnea index, which is the scale used to determine the severity of obstructive sleep apnea. They also said the research indicated that weight reduction was associated with apnea-hypopnea index improvement.
Across the research reviewed, the experts concluded that the current evidence indicated that GLP-1 receptor agonists could have positive impacts for some patients with obstructive sleep apnea. However, it's important to note that not all patients with the condition have obesity, and the researchers noted that these patients would be "unlikely to respond to weight loss strategies." Obesity is known to be a risk factor for obstructive sleep apnea because excess body weight around the neck can narrow the airway lumen—the central passage that allows air flow to and from the lungs—making it more likely to collapse during sleep. "The pharynx, between the hard palate and larynx, is the only segment of the airway without rigid support," Dr.
Alex Harris, lead author of the study, told Newsweek, explaining it forms "a collapsible tube held open entirely by muscle tone." Harris said that obesity can affect this part of the body in multiple ways. For example, "fat deposits in the tongue, pharyngeal tissues on the side, and the parapharyngeal spaces can contribute to crowding," she said, explaining the airway passage then "becomes more narrow." Obesity can reduce lung capacity as well and Harris said the body fat around the abdomen and chest also "create pressure on the lungs, reducing the amount they can expand." "This is worse when laying flat," she added. "Lung volume can help to pull the trachea which helps to stiffen the pharynx from below.
When this is compressed, the tension is no longer maintained." She said that this is "part of the reason that a person with sleep apnea may have worse symptoms while lying on their back rather than with their head elevated." At the same time, obesity can disrupt hormones and lead to leptin resistance. Harris described leptin as "a chemical with many potential areas of impact in the body, that in the respiratory tract acts as a stimulant to the respiratory drive," adding that "resistance leads to a blunted respiratory drive." Obesity and obstructive sleep apnea can also leave a patient in a "self-perpetuating loop where apnea drives sympathetic activation, insulin resistance and appetite dysregulation, promoting further weight gain, worsening sleep apnea," Harris said. Given the impact of obesity on obstructive sleep apnea, the experts at the University of Pittsburgh said recent research indicates GLP-1 receptor agonists could help patients with the condition.
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