Periodic breathing and the Keto diet

[dankoziolek]

After my first night on CPAP for obstructive sleep apnea, just over 10 years ago, my machine read 60% periodic breathing. After googling the term, I called my sleep doctor in a panic. He told me not to worry. I was 57 years old and only about 1,000 feet above sea level with no known heart problems, so I worried anyway, even as, with consistent use, the PB numbers went down to about 30%. I saw a different doctor who also told me not to worry. Six weeks later I was hospitalized with congestive heart failure and diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. The third sleep doctor I saw ordered a new sleep study and prescribed an ASV CPAP that brought the PB numbers down to 2-6%. Even though my AHI was only slightly above 1, I still always felt tired. Then this past April I started a keto diet and felt better the next day. My PB numbers immediately dropped to 0 and have stayed there almost every night. My AHI is now half what it was during the 4 years I've had my current machine. I've lost 40 lbs since April, but the improvements happened immediately after starting keto and before I lost any weight. People seem to want to believe that I feel better because I lost weight, but I've been able to lose weight because I feel better.

Neither my sleep doctor nor my cardiologist have been able to help me understand what's going on for me, either before or now. I'm just sharing this in case my experience is helpful to anyone else.

[AussieBobJ]

Sorry, nothing to add on this topic ... but I'm tuning in, on the off chance an expert adds anything I might find useful

I'm long time cpap user, generally follow keto diet, have ongoing periodic breathing issues, ...

[icipher]

After my first night on CPAP for obstructive sleep apnea, just over 10 years ago, my machine read 60% periodic breathing. After googling the term, I called my sleep doctor in a panic. He told me not to worry. I was 57 years old and only about 1,000 feet above sea level with no known heart problems, so I worried anyway, even as, with consistent use, the PB numbers went down to about 30%. I saw a different doctor who also told me not to worry. Six weeks later I was hospitalized with congestive heart failure and diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. The third sleep doctor I saw ordered a new sleep study and prescribed an ASV CPAP that brought the PB numbers down to 2-6%. Even though my AHI was only slightly above 1, I still always felt tired. Then this past April I started a keto diet and felt better the next day. My PB numbers immediately dropped to 0 and have stayed there almost every night. My AHI is now half what it was during the 4 years I've had my current machine. I've lost 40 lbs since April, but the improvements happened immediately after starting keto and before I lost any weight. People seem to want to believe that I feel better because I lost weight, but I've been able to lose weight because I feel better.

Neither my sleep doctor nor my cardiologist have been able to help me understand what's going on for me, either before or now. I'm just sharing this in case my experience is helpful to anyone else.

Interesting story. Glad Keto has worked well for you. I have genetically high cholesterol so for me keto is problematic from a blood lipids standpoint.

Did they say what caused your cardiomyopathy?

[Janknitz]

Not an expert, but keto has a profound and positive metabolic effect. Glad to hear it's working well for you.