OSA range of symptoms

[Rainmom17]

New to CPAP. Looking forward to eventually feeling better. What I'm wondering is how many of the symptoms I experience could possibly be attributed to sleep apnea. Many of them I assumed were due to perimenopause or nutritional deficiencies, or every doctor's catch-all reason, stress. But I'm wondering if sleep apnea could be the underlying cause of all. So, please help me out. I'm gonna list a bunch of symptoms. Looking to see if anyone out there has had some of these and has seen them resolved by using cpap.
Anxiety
Overwhelming fatigue
Eyes sensitive to light
Reduced appetite
Less enjoyment of things I used to love, like driving and getting together with friends
Don't feel down exactly, but more feeling "flat" - like I have no drive or energy or passion for pretty much anything
Don't feel like me
Brain fog
Woozy
Unsteady on my feet
PVCs/palpitations

Thoughts?
Thanks!

FYI - I have had many blood tests, MRI, Holter monitor -- all checks out as ok.

[Bertha deBlues]

All of the following got better for me with CPAP therapy: overwhelming fatigue, less enjoyment of things I used to love, feeling "flat", not feeling like me, brain fog and feeling woozy.

Eyes sensitive to light - I have other eye problems that are the likely cause.

Reduced appetite - mine was greatly increased when I wasn't getting enough sleep because I would awake with a gnawing sensation in my stomach that I interpreted as hunger, though eating more didn't seem to help. People's reactions are different.

Palpitations - hmmm, now that I think of it, I'm not having those as often.

My concentration on the task at hand is also better than it was.

Best of luck to you with your treatment!

[Julie]

Hi, and welcome.

Many can be attributed to OSA, but also to other problems such as depression (tho' many of us were diagosed with depression wben all we had was OSA). The problem here is that you can't know, certainly not for sure, which are 'only' OSA and which might be due to other things, menopausal or not (another variable to throw in!). Your description of the depression symptoms do sound like... depression, but it would be best to sort them out with the right professional, not us, at least until you're set up with Cpap and see how things go over a few weeks. You could well have clinical depression not directly related to OSA, maybe brought on by menopause, tho' maybe not, etc. etc. Without more time on Cpap, and/or a proper evaluation by a psychologist or psychiatrist, you can't really say what's due to what. Good luck finding out though!

The photophobia and unsteadiness could have many other explanations and you might want a refeerral to a neurologist for those.

[ChicagoGranny]

But I'm wondering if sleep apnea could be the underlying cause of all.

They certainly could be and have been for many people. Every cell in the body runs off oxygen. If you don't get enough oxygen while sleeping, every cell is adversely affected.

And then there is sleep deprivation which can totally wreck a person.

Eyes sensitive to light

That was one thing I noticed before starting CPAP. I did not want overhead lights in the house turned on - table lamps only. Now, I don't notice overhead lights.

Expect some big improvement in your life once you have CPAP therapy working well.

[Rainmom17]

Thank you both for quick replies! I realize I may have other things going on along with my OSA. But, it's good to know there is at least a POSSIBILITY that treatment will help me with my variety of symptoms. It encourages me to keep going, since I'm currently having a hard time with cpap.

[robysue]

Anxiety

Me personally no. Lots of people on the forum say they have less problems with anxiety after starting CPAP

Overwhelming fatigue

Big symptom of untreated OSA. Most people report feeling less fatigued. Many people find the fatigue totally disappears. But fatigue can be caused by other medical problems that are not related to untreated OSA.

Eyes sensitive to light

This is typically a migraine headache symptom. It can also be a symptom that cataracts are getting worse. I'm not sure I've seen anybody post that sensitivity to light disappeared after starting CPAP. I'd suggest a trip to the eye doctor if you don't have migraines.

Reduced appetite

Not sure what you mean here. Are you asking whether getting on CPAP reduces the tendency to overeat? Or are you asking whether getting on CPAP fixes a problem with a noticeably reduced appetite?

Less enjoyment of things I used to love, like driving and getting together with friends

This can get better---if the reason why is that you feel tired and cranky all the time. However this is also a symptom of depression. It's possible to have both depression and OSA at the same time. People with very mild depression symptoms often do see some improvement in the depression symptoms once they're on CPAP.

Don't feel down exactly, but more feeling "flat" - like I have no drive or energy or passion for pretty much anything
Don't feel like me

These could be related to the fatigue. Or they could be symptoms of depression. Some people do report these kinds of symptoms of mild depression get better with CPAP. Others find CPAP makes it easier to manage the depression, but does not eliminate the symptoms by itself.

Brain fog

This is a very common symptom of untreated OSA. Most people who experience this symptom see significant improvement after starting CPAP.

Woozy
Unsteady on my feet
PVCs/palpitations

In my opinion, these require consulting a doctor. Yes, sometimes untreated OSA can create abnormalities in the heartbeat during sleep. Anxiety can definitely cause palpitations. But so can thyroid conditions and so can heart disease. Wooziness and unsteadiness could be tied to lack of sleep. Or it could indicate a neurological problem of some sort. Or it could point to a blood pressure problem of some sort. Whether any of these might get better with CPAP depends on whether there is another medical condition that is causing them.

Finally one last note: When I say something can get better with CPAP, I mean that you have to be over the adjustment period. In other words, you have to be sleeping well with the machine all night long, every night. And the pressure setting has to be sufficient to keep your AHI nice and low. And the mask has to be comfortable. It can take a newbie anywhere from 1 night to several weeks to a 2-3 months to get to the point where they're genuinely sleeping well with the machine.

Good luck!

[Goofproof]

Haven't you been reading here, OSA causes everything that happens in everyones life, I really do hate the itchy eye lids, and the mis-formed toe nails. Treatment will improve many symptoms. Jim

[kteague]

I can identify with most of your list with the following exceptions...

Was not light senstive but had vision changes that were later discovered to be glaucoma. Any issues with vision need to be evaluated by an eye doctor who is aware of your symptoms so knows to look for things that might cause those specific symptoms. Please do make this a priority. I dd not, and later found I was at risk of losing my eyesight. There's discussion out there as to whether untreated apnea causes elevated eye pressures, or if CPAP does. Don't think there's a consensus, but better to be safe and have regular eye exams.

Reduced appetite? I can only wish.

Have you specifically had your vitamin D and B12 checked? They are not generally included in routine checks. The good thing is that treating your sleep apnea should narrow your list of residual symptoms and maybe help the doctors better target where to look next.

[Rainmom177]

Two thorough eye exams in past year (one was yesterday) turn up nothing, not even dry eye. Tons of blood work done, all great. Paid for a test that measured all my nutrients at the cellular level. Vit D, magnesium, and Vit B12 all really good. Full thyroid panel interpreted by my naturopath - good. My ferritin is still a little low and my biotin is slightly deficient. Everything else great. I am the very picture of good health apparently!

[rainmom177]

Full thyroid panel including T3, T4, antibodies. All good. Haven't had K looked at -do you mean Vit K or potassium (it's symbol is K I think). But Vit. K could be low as I'm on Warfarin for life. Have never done A1C. My glucose tests have always been good. Oh, and I have always had low blood pressure (like 105/70). Two of the common things sleep apnea sufferers have -high blood pressure and frequent trips to the bathroom at night - are not true for me at all.

I'm hoping to see positive changes from using cpap and then if there are still problematic symptoms, to look into those. I am in perimenopause and my progesterone is low-ish, so that may account for some things.

[robysue]

rainmom177,

Any history of migraines in your family?

Sensitivity to light can be a sign of migraines. And there are people who wind up having migraine auras even without the headache pain.

[Rainmom177]

I do get the migraines with aura. And I really only get the aura part - headache isn't bad for me. I do get the occasional headache, usually around my eyes. My eyes have been more light-sensitive the last 2 years, and it's pretty much daily. I was thinking maybe long-term sleep deprivation has made them that way.

[kteague]

With all the testing you've had done and things that are already ruled out, you have every reason to be hopeful that sleep apnea has been a major culprit and you'll see a lot of improvement. I hope you'll keep us informed as things improve for you.

[robysue]

I do get the migraines with aura. And I really only get the aura part - headache isn't bad for me. I do get the occasional headache, usually around my eyes. My eyes have been more light-sensitive the last 2 years, and it's pretty much daily. I was thinking maybe long-term sleep deprivation has made them that way.

You might want to mention this to your PCP if you don't have a headache specialist. It could be that your migraines are becoming chronic migraines. If the light sensitivity is migraine related, then getting the migraines under control might be worthwhile.

I wound up having the bad luck of dealing with a serious increase in my chronic migraines right around the time I started CPAPing. And I had to work with a PA in a headache doctor's office for several months to get them properly controlled. Once the migraines were reined in, my sleep with the CPAP became much better.

[Arlene1963]

New to CPAP. Looking forward to eventually feeling better. What I'm wondering is how many of the symptoms I experience could possibly be attributed to sleep apnea. Many of them I assumed were due to perimenopause or nutritional deficiencies, or every doctor's catch-all reason, stress. But I'm wondering if sleep apnea could be the underlying cause of all. So, please help me out. I'm gonna list a bunch of symptoms. Looking to see if anyone out there has had some of these and has seen them resolved by using cpap.

Thoughts?
Thanks!

Hi Rainmom177,

I had two of the symptoms you mention, anxiety and PVCs/palpitations and both have improved a great deal since I started CPAP.

I was just going into menopause when I was diagnosed (51 years old at time of first sleep study) and so also wondered how many of the symptoms were related to hormonal issues.

In my case once I got used to CPAP and started sleeping with the mask on all night I stopped having horrible frequent nightly sweats and racing heart episodes, also slowly over time my anxiety levels reduced which helped me to sleep better.

For me CPAP has been very positive and many symptoms I thought were just part of getting to be "middle aged" have gone away or vastly improved.

It's unfortunate that symptoms of perimeno hormonal changes and OSA are so similar, but at least if you treat your OSA you will have a better shot at overall good health to deal with all the changes that come with menopause.