Shaquille O’Neal Shares How Zepbound Helped with Sleep Apnea and Weight Loss
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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 12: Shaquille O’Neal attends the 2026 Disney Upfront at Jacob K. Javits Convention Center on May 12, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by John Nacion/Film Magic) Shaquille O’Neal is taking Zepbound to help manage his weight and reduce obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) symptoms. Zepbound is FDA approved for moderate to severe OSA in adults living with obesity. Excess weight, especially around the neck, can worsen OSA symptoms by narrowing the airway and increasing the risk of collapse during sleep. Shaquille O’Neal says taking Zepbound has helped improve symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a condition he has lived with for years. In 2011, the NBA legend was diagnosed with moderate obstructive sleep apnea after taking part in an overnight sleep study conducted at Harvard Medical School. “[The doctors] told me the what and whatnots to do and talked about certain things, but I ignored it…because I thought I was superhuman,” he told Healthline. OSA is often an obesity-related disease in which the airway in the throat repeatedly collapses or becomes blocked while sleeping, said Karl Nadolsky, DO, director of the diabetes & endocrinology clinic at The Gym and an assistant clinical professor of medicine at Michigan State University. “This causes you to briefly stop breathing multiple times per hour, leading to drops in oxygen, disrupted sleep, loud snoring, and daytime tiredness,” Nadolsky told Healthline. “Over time, untreated OSA can increase the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, and other serious health problems.” Why O’Neal decided to take his sleep apnea more seriously After his diagnosis, O’Neal tried using a CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) machine, which involved wearing a mask to help keep his airway open while sleeping. However, he said he didn’t use it effectively, so he stopped and his snoring continued to get worse. “My snoring got so bad that my friends started making…funny videos out of them.