Sleep apnea can cause serious brain injury

[danmc]

I think I have been suffering from sleep apnia in some form for the last 25-30 years. I only got diagnosed and started cpap treatment 8 years ago, but I swear there has been an improvement in my memory in that time. My mental functions were pathetic, I got to the point where I could not even read. I was having to rehash each sentence 3-4 times before i could move to the next one, getting past 4 or 5 sentences, I would lose the train of thought all together. Just a real bad case of the stupids all the way around.
I always attributed it to seizure medication, but looking back on it a gradual improvement started to occur after 1 to 2 yrs on cpap. My memory is still horrible but it is light years above what is was.
But its like I always say A good memory is for sissies. Any loser can make it thru life with a good memory, it takes a real man to make it as a half-wit.
I guess thah makes me pretty damn macho, I don't know

_________________


Great to hear Edbrad, Love your philosophy, lol.

[danmc]

when I was younger I had so little data in my head I could analyse & search it 10+ times faster.

My fav saying is "the more I learn the less I know"

DSM

Good point DSM, It was easy to remember anything as a teenager when the only other words stuck in my head were to do with female anatomy.

[tildafish]

I can support the idea mentioned early in this thread that brain injury can come first. I had a severe closed head injury in a car accident that ruined my health and landed me on disability for fibromyalgia and brain damage, but it preceeded my apnea by many years.

If I had CSA, I might even be inclined to blame the apnea on the injury, but I have OSA. The OSA is much more likely to have been caused by my Lyme Disease, which I also have. Ain't I lucky? (not).

tildafish

[lifeartist59]

It is well known that sleep depravation causes memory loss. My question is this, if someone is trying to use cpap, and loses hours of sleep a night trying to fall asleep with the cpap, is this any better than sleeping without the machine and having apnea events?

[CollegeGirl]

Of course it's better, lifeartist, because one will eventually get used to it, find the right combination of mask/machine/pressure, and be able to sleep with it, and one's health will improve significantly as a result. Whereas leaving the apnea untreated only makes one's health worse.

[CollegeGirl]

I actually had to respond to this thread, because I, too, am still having significant short-term memory issues, as well as (occasional small) cognitive issues, and it impacts my job in small ways at times. I've been on cpap and 100% compliant for more than three years now - I guess I was hoping I would have gotten all this back by now.

[Guest]

I actually had to respond to this thread, because I, too, am still having significant short-term memory issues, as well as (occasional small) cognitive issues, and it impacts my job in small ways at times. I've been on cpap and 100% compliant for more than three years now - I guess I was hoping I would have gotten all this back by now.

_________________

I was thinking about it today. I think I have gotten used to not being able to recall things so I don't even try for some things. Could be a need to retrain the brain once the problem is gone?

[ozij]

Could be a need to retrain the brain once the problem is gone?

http://www.cognifit.com


O.

[Claire]

Hi, to answer some questions to my earlier post. I know my husband doesn't have sleep apnea because I've been sleeping next to him for 40+ years and he has never stopped breathing to my knowledge nor does he snore or kick. So...I have to attribute his forgetfulness to aging.

To answer another question, I've been on cpap for 6 months and in the doctoral program for five years. Here's the crazy thing (and why I think it's probably aging), I can't remember where I put my car keys five minutes ago, but I can remember the gist of almost every article/book in a 500+ bibliography. And, BTW, thanks for the support for undertaking a program like this at my age. It's hard and challenging, but also fun since my life doesn't depend on it and I'm as old or older than the profs. And life experience does count!

Anyway, clearly OSA affects people's mental abilities in different ways. This is likely to mean that recovery rates vary, too. But how to separate OSA reactions from aging for those of us who are older...?

[brynna]

My sons should find this one interesting. I'm almost fifty and have a lot of short-term memory loss. I have aphasia and often twist entire sentences around. The boys (ages 21 and 24, so not really "boys") have been worried that I have Alzheimer's, especially given that I actually have a photographic memory. I keep telling them that the film is having problems developing.

I've had sleep apnea for who knows how many years, although I was diagnosed in 2001 and have used a cpap machine since.

I'm also bipolar, which has been shown to cause brain damage in the areas of memory, particularly short-term memory. Also, the medication - in my case Seroquel, Wellbutrin and Effexor - causes drowsiness and confusion.

So, is my sleep apnea? My mental illness? Medication side effects? A combination of any of the above? (I kinda concur with the latter.) Who knows? What I do feel is that after reading the article that it's doubly-important to stick with my cpap therapy and also keep my mental illness medicated, as it's episodes that cause the damage.

Food for thought.

[roster]

.....
Seriously though, it took quite a while for my swelling to go down (yours may still be there at 6 months) and its dang uncomfortable. You feel worse than before cos its all swollen and you wonder if they used ground glass to rinse your nose and mouth.

I am so sorry to hear you had such a bad time. Actually DanMc, I had a different experience from you. Mine healed very quickly and was not so painful. I recommend it if you have a good surgeon. Mine was one of the best.

[danmc]

Well I can't complain really. It was just that 5 procedures at once seemed strange. My surgeon joked that the pain would make me lose weight since I couldn't eat. My suspicion is that he did all 5 at once to save me money that I didn't need to save. he was pretty gung ho and just had one look at my deviated septum and said yep, I'll fix that. I had to really quiz him about what he planned to do and eventually bring in my partner to ask him as he just did not want to elaborate on what "fix" meant.

This is a common problem I find. It may be that I look like a cross between a bear and a moose so they assume I'm too stupid to bother explaining. It could just be the attitude of a lot of professionals.

It is puzzling to me now that since I went to him (and my GP) about sleep apnea after my partner noticed I stopped breathing for 30 seconds at a time. He never suggested sleep studies and it was only years later that I had them done. Basically I kept waiting for the surgery to heal and my breathing to improve. Eventually I insisted that my local GP refer me for sleep studies.

I guess I should have realized my GP was less than attentive when, after an accident, he tried to send me home with a broken arm that required bone pins and surgery ...he insisted that if it was broken I would be in more pain therefore it was not broken. I had to insist that I get xrays as I could feel the bone grinding. LOL. Anyhow, I'm still kicking so no worries.

[lifeartist59]

I have read replies to my post about if it is worth losing sleep to use cpap. I would like to ask how long does this take, since its been over a year for me and I am still taking hours to fall asleep with it many nights. Family is worried since they see a change in my personality. I did not have symptoms like daytime sleepiness etc, just got tested because I told physician I was struggling to lose weight. I will sleep some nights okay, but I can not say its ever been a really good night sleep. I keep trying, but I am starting to get really sick of laying there staring at the ceiling fan
I have noticed that I seem to get 'on track' if you can say that, going 4-5 hours straight and then when I have to get a new mask, wham, it is back to two or more hours to go to sleep and then using it about 3 hrs according to my machine and taking it off ( either while still groggy or in frustration). I can't break in a new mask even though it is the same brand and type. I really feel sort of depressed when I think of this being for the rest of my life since I have not felt a benefit yet. Anybody have any ideas? I hope so since I haven't given up on it after a year, I am still trying.....

[Guest]

I guess you have tried the nasal pillows? I wonder if they might need less breaking in. I thought I would hate them but they are not so bad.

[Slinky]

If you've been at "it" (meaning CPAP therapy) a year w/no improvment I'd be inclined to

1] request IN WRITING a copy of the doctor's dictated results (1-2 pages each)
and
2] a copy of the full data summary report w/condensed graphs (5+ pages each)
from both my sleep evaluation AND my titration study
in addition to
3] a copy of my equipment order (script)
and then
4] find a new sleep specialist.

This is assuming that you've contacted your sleep specialist during this year and kept him informed of your continued sleep problems. IF he doesn't know you are having problems, he can't help alleviate or correct them.

If you have contacted him and he's offered no help or isn't displaying any interest in your problems all the more reason to find another sleep specialist. And while it doesn't pay to "slam" one doctor to another I'd make sure the new doctor was well aware that I'd been using xPAP for a year w/insufficient interest from my previous specialist (assuming you gave the first specialist a chance to help you w/continuing problems).