'Secret sleep condition caused me to gain 40lbs in six months despite healthy life'

'Secret sleep condition caused me to gain 40lbs in six months despite healthy life' Lex Banach couldn't figure out what was going on until she got her diagnosis A woman gained 40lbs in six months, despite eating and exercising the same as before. Lex Banach, 29, felt like she was going “insane” when she began to rapidly put on weight, despite eating well and going to the gym regularly. After suffering from brain fog and extreme fatigue, she went to the doctor and was told she had had sleep apnoea for three years, without her knowledge. The content creator, from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, began using a CPAP machine and lost 60lbs in a year. She said: “I felt insane for years because I didn’t know what was going on with my body. I was so confused; I was following the same nutrition plan and doing the same workouts. “I’ve always snored and always been a mouth breather. My doctor told me the weight gain was likely sleep apnoea. “The test showed I stopped breathing every eight minutes. I was so relieved to finally have an answer, but surprised to hear it was only mild, considering how much it impacted me.” Lex is into fitness and in 2020 she lost 20lbs, taking her from 180lbs to her goal weight of 160lbs. She maintained this for a year, then in early 2021 she began to gain weight rapidly and put on 40lbs in the space of six months. Confused, she decided to come off the birth control pill in 2022, as since she was eating the same and doing the same amount of exercise as before, she couldn’t think of any other reason for her weight gain. “It was kind of a wellness trend at the time to come off the pill, but it didn’t change anything," she said. She then began to experience brain fog and extreme fatigue. “I had to nap every single day; I was just so exhausted all of the time," she said. She also began to struggle with impulse control. “I would say I was just going to have one cookie, and then eat the whole container," she said. “I just didn’t feel like myself; I wasn’t bubbly anymore, and I kept snapping at my partner.” Feeling down, Lex went to the doctor for a therapy referral and was told she likely had anxiety and depression, as well as sleep apnoea. Sleep apnoea is when your breathing stops and starts while you sleep. Symptoms include mood swings, difficulty sleeping and fatigue and if not treated it can lead to serious problems, such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Lex’s doctor ordered her a sleep study, which records your heart rate, oxygen levels and breathing whilst you sleep. She attached a sensor to her finger before bed and the device monitored her vitals while she slept. The test showed that Lex woke up 68 times during the night and she was diagnosed with mild sleep apnoea. Sleep apnoea can contribute to weight gain because disrupted sleep affects your metabolism, causes hormonal imbalance and affects your energy levels, leaving you less able to do physical activity. Following her diagnosis, Lex was given a CPAP machine in June 2023, which pumps air into a mask you wear over your nose and mouth while you sleep, to improve your breathing. Within a few months, Lex started to see a change in her body and within a year she had lost 60lbs, bringing her weight down to 140lbs. In February 2024, she did a repeat study and was told by doctors that her sleep apnoea had reversed. However, she had to return the CPAP machine in April 2024 and in May 2025, she began having symptoms of sleep apnoea again. As Lex no longer has health insurance, she hasn’t been able to access a CPAP machine again now that her symptoms have come back and has gained 20lbs. However, she is trying her best to manage her symptoms with meditation and yoga.