This is what the heart of a morbidly obese adult male looks like after decades of unhealthy eating and lack of exercise. Excess layers of adipose tissue are clearly visible here. 
When a morbidly obese patient (BMI >30 kg/m2) sleeps on his or her back, visceral fat on their central abdomen presses down on their lower lungs, causing them to snore! This extra weight on the abdomen makes it much more difficult to push air out through the glottis, a classic reason why most obese patients snore at night. As it requires more effort to breathe against this weight, these patients will breathe in less oxygen and breath out less carbon dioxide throughout the night, exhibiting hypoventilation in comparison to a normal healthy adult. This phenomenon is a major cause of nocturnal hypoxia, when less oxygen is being delivered to all organs during sleep, resulting in a drop in blood pH and inherently increasing the propensity of acquiring conditions such as systemic / pulmonary hypertension, heart arrhythmias, and sudden death. Thankfully, this condition can be improved and avoided with a proper diet and exercise regiment.
Photo Credit: @eylincrm
Written by Student Doctor Navpreet Singh Badesha
