Need Help! Memory loss and brain fog for 10 year CPAP user at age 32

[hurstmuscle]

Hello,

I'm 32 years old in Ohio currently 390lbs. I've been using a CPAP every time I sleep for the past 10.5 years. Always using a full face due to my mouth breathing/talking while sleeping. Sleep doctors/techs have always commended me on my diligence in usage, said my leak rate is low, and my apnea is controlled well per my cpap's data. I average over 7 hours of sleep per night.

Issues:
I always go to bed exhausted and fall asleep immediately. Ever increasing sleepiness, memory loss and brain fog, dreams where I struggle to breathe or are very confusing/foggy. Whenever I am woken during a dream I feel exhausted and out of breath. No noticed effect from using humidity or not.

-started at 8 cmH2O at 325 lbs in 2008.
-retitrated in 2014 and upped to 9 cmH2O.

I had another sleepy study done 9/18.
- 383 sleep time for 467 time in bed (minutes)
- reduced sleep efficiency at 82%
- Normal sleep latency
- REM latency brief at 4.5 minutes
- 65.8% stage II sleep (moderately reduced)
- 8.1% stage III sleep (moderately reduced)
- 17.% stage REM (moderately reduced)
- WASO of 18%
- 9 resp events, 4 hypopneas, 5 mixed obstructive apneas
- severe snoring with frequent snore arousals

So I upped my pressure to 10 cmH2O per Doctor. I had 2 nights of deep, dream filled, and restful sleep. Then back to previous symptoms. Tried upping pressure to 10.5 and 11. No change.

[PoolQ]

suggestion. what machine do you use? install the Oscar software (free) and collect some data. read the article on how to format your charts and then post them. all of this will help get you help. You have given your sleep study results but say nothing about what your machine is saying. Once we know your detailed machine model we can tell you IF you can even get to the data.

Help these helpful people help you

[zonker]

Hello,

hello and welcome to the zoo! as poolq has mentioned, the experts here are going to need to see some machine data so they can give you advice aimed at your particulars. downloading OSCAR will help. or download sleepyhead, which is linked in my signature.(to be clear, these are software programs, NOT APPS, in case that makes a difference.)

each of us is just that little bit different, enough so that we need different things to optimize our therapy. what works for me may not work for thee. so once people see your charts, they can make with the suggestions.

see also the new user thread that i link to in my sig.

good luck!

[zoocrewphoto]

As the others mentioned, please download the software and post a typical night.

We ask this because many doctors don't really understand real success with cpap. They either consider any ahi under 5 to be good, which is the line for insurance paying, but not for feeling good. Also, many doctors do not know how to review the data, so they just look at hours of use and ahi. They don't realize that there could be clusters, longer events, etc that cause problems, even if the ahi is under 5.

Once we can see when and what events you are having as well as what the pressure is doing; we can give you some useful advice.

[Snoregone Conclusion]

Hello,

hello and welcome to the zoo! as poolq has mentioned, the experts here are going to need to see some machine data so they can give you advice aimed at your particulars. downloading OSCAR will help. or download sleepyhead, which is linked in my signature.(to be clear, these are software programs, NOT APPS, in case that makes a difference.)

each of us is just that little bit different, enough so that we need different things to optimize our therapy. what works for me may not work for thee. so once people see your charts, they can make with the suggestions.

see also the new user thread that i link to in my sig.

good luck!

“Apps” are software programs: ask any developer! All applications are “apps” but it seems a lot of people have this bizarre delineation that applications on mobile devices should be called “apps” while on larger form factor machines they should be called something different.

There’s no difference in how complex mobile device software is to develop compared to what’s developed for desktop use.

For future reference, say which operating systems something runs on: in the case of SleepyHead/OSCAR, that’s Windows/MacOS, and Linux (didn’t verify that one, but the framework it runs on is available for Linux, too).

[palerider]

“Apps” are software programs: ask any developer! All applications are “apps” but it seems a lot of people have this bizarre delineation that applications on mobile devices should be called “apps” while on larger form factor machines they should be called something different.

More noise from someone, that helps NOBODY. :sigh:

[zonker]

“Apps” are software programs: ask any developer!

thepoint.gif

and, oddly enough, palerider didn't feel it necessary to correct me.

[palerider]

“Apps” are software programs: ask any developer!

and, oddly enough, palerider didn't feel it necessary to correct me.

Because you understand normal usage of terms... to wit:

APP:
Computing
an application, especially as downloaded by a user to a mobile device.

But, the person you're replying to doesn't care about that, not when there's a chance to be needlessly pedantic about something and confuse the issue.

[hurstmuscle]

Attached is a typical night. Note that I use an F&P Icon+ so I don't get Flow Rate.

My CPAP statistics for the last year:

Average Hours per Night 07:44
Compliance 99%
AHI 2.31
Obstructive Index 1.66
Hypopnea Index 0.65
Flow Limitation Index 1.54
SensAwake Index 2.82
Average Leak Rate 4.31
90% Leak Rate 8.00
Time above threshold 2.62%
Average Pressure 10.48

[chunkyfrog]

I sincerely hope this problem gets cleared up.
Cpap brought my brain fog to a stop.
Memory loss seems less--but at my age . . .

[stevej1234]

I'm 32 years old in Ohio currently 390lbs.

How are you able to maintain 390 lbs??

[ChicagoGranny]

currently 390lbs.

Are you working closely with a doctor and a registered dietitian?

[palerider]

Attached is a typical night. Note that I use an F&P Icon+ so I don't get Flow Rate.

Your AHI isn't *bad*... but it's not good.

I'm not very familiar with the exact details of how F&P responds to apneas and such, but the night you showed above, it wasn't doing much while you were having OAs...

I'd suggest raising your min pressure to 12. If the machine won't step up promptly, then you've got to have more baseline pressure to reduce the OAs you're having.

[synapse]

I hope that you have your blood pressure and glucose levels under control as they can affect memory in addition to very high bmi levels.