Brain concussion and Sleep Apnea

[geestman]

Please react if you have Sleep Apnea and
you have had a brain concussion in the past. (latin :commotio cerebri)

It might haven been more than 20 years ago that you have fallen
on the back of your head or that you had other hits on the back of
your head like whiplash, ball on your head and so on.

Often the problem starts later on and becomes worse every year.
Almost no medication works right.

This syndrome is called in the Netherlands : Anteflexy headache

The connection between Atlas and the upper neck is damaged.

The symthoms are :

Dissiness(is that good english?), postcommotional
and sometimes Vertigo

Headache

Concentration weakness

Sleeping disorder

Vegetative behaviour

Eye pain (red eyes) and reading problems

No direct clear relation is found with the brain concussion.

Psychical factors might are involved

Diagnoses difficult to make.

Please only react if you have a Sleep apnea problem which might
have been caused by a head concussion.

See also the topic Sleepapnea and Carpale Tunnel Syndrome.

[Guest]

Well, that's interesting because I did have a severe head injury (including concussion) when I was 6 years old & had many problems after that including sleep difficulties. I have had sleep apnea most likely throughout my childhood onward due to what my parents have said & others who have witnessed my sleep.

[SleepyGuy]

About 20 years ago I was in a major flip-over car accident. I walked away, but two years later had neck problems. I've been to several chiropractors since and each one has been able to tell I was in a car accident without my even telling them.

Even with chiropractic treatment, the curve of my neck is not as much as it should be. I wonder if that is not an important reason for my narrow air passages in my throat.

[geestman]

With your reaction to my topic please always state what you AHI is
(Number of stops of your breath in one hour during sleep)
and which symptoms you recognize of my list.
My intention is to register all Apnea patients who think that there
strong suspect that there is a relation with Brain Concussion.
Even after 20 or 30 years, may be in your childhoud.

I am looking for evidence that this might be the case.
With this knowledge may be a better treatment can be developped.
CPAP is to my opinion a medicin which cannot cure OSAS/CSAS
but can only take away the risks and better your life.
I am looking for the cause of OSAS or CSAS to be able
to cure it or get a better treatment by the so called medical specialists,
who can pay their Porche with our misery.
May be your apnea has nothing to do with your throat or nose,
but with the electrical circuit of the breathing signal in your brain.
It might be that the connection to your breathing mustles/longs are in disorder by the accident you had with the brain concussion on the back of your head.
According to a Dutch specialist this is true but no other medical
specialists understand/support him because there is no real evidence.
That's why I am looking for Apneu patients who recognize this.

Thanks in advance for your contribution to this forum and please register
your personal details to the forum so that we can contact you personally
in case more details are required, which you do not wish to mention
on the forum, because of privacy.

Regards Richard A.F. Geestman (ghostman@Freeler.nl)

[wading thru the muck!]

Richard,

This forum is a good place to get anecdotal confirmation of your suspicions but I wouldn't suggest using it to record statistical data. You may just want to have people interested in participating in your "study" to PM or e-mail you with the appropriate data. You might get a better response.

[lindytime@comcast.net]

I had 2 accidents within 8 months of each other, and, in the 2nd, suffered a concussion and whiplash as a passenger in an auto accident 2 yrs, ago. My orthopedic doctor's notes begin with complaints of "Fatigue" every visit. Within a year I was tested (sleep labs)and diagnosed with severe obstructive sleep apnea, excessive daytime sleepiness, hyposomnia, post concussion attention deficit, Narcolepsy, balance disorder and had hand problems (kept dropping things, later severe hand and finger pain and dysfunction). I have had so many tests and seen so many doctors, but have no prognosis.

[jazzer4]

Not sure about this.

Five people in my immediate family have Sleep Apnea and none of us have been in any kind of an accident.
Now grandchildren are showing signs of it.

[Jade]

Vegetative behaviour

Does it not matter which vegetable one is behaving like?

[Visitor]

50 YO Male, very good physical condition & not over weight. - Hit the back of my head hard @ 5 YO. Pretty much forgot one week of my life following that. Have had apnea at least after the age of 34 when coincidentally I fell 8 feet striking the left side of head on concrete. Wife reported that I would stop breathing for minutes on ends several times/night. Recently, while skiing, I fell on ice striking right side of head on ice very hard. It has occurred to me that my apnea has worsened in that I am waking during the night with a pounding heart. I have determined this because an intense apnea episode can cause the body to have a fight or flight panic response elevating adrenaline levels. It's been 5 & a half months since the ski accident and I am slowly improving. I have all the signs of a concussion compounded by apnea symptoms. 4 months ago my memory and ability to follow conversation was shot. Sleep is essential for my recovery but with the apnea it’s a bit of a catch 22. I have found sleeping on my left side is my best bet. - I think the bottom line of this all is that in my case I have proven that Central Sleep Apnea (which I have) can be exacerbated by concussion. - Also, in response to the orig post: You spoke of whip lash or neck injury. The C3 & C5 vertebrae carry the phrenic nerve which controls breathing. Transvenous stimulation of this nerve has benefited some with apnea. Extending this line of thinking further, any injury around these vertebrae could possibly cause breathing problems. I have some arthritis in this area of my neck. I do home neck traction which has shown some benefit not only for discomfort and mobility in the neck, but also fewer apnea episodes. The underlying problem though still remains (undiagnosed) that brain trauma as a child at 5 or as an adult at 34 has lead to my apnea. I am the only of 8 siblings who has this problem so in my case it does not appear to have a genetic link. - At dinner I have a dose of potassium and magnesium. These electrolytes help me sleep. I also eat a very small piece of dark 80% chocolate the size of a quarter before bed. This stimulates the central nervous system enough to keep me breathing but not so much as to stop me from falling asleep.

[Julie]

Geestman - you need to go and see a neurologist or neurosurgeon - definitely not a chiropractor, or even another specialist...what you have can be serious and only a proper specialist should be taking care of you - the atlanto-axial junction can even be fused or otherwise 'fixed' if necessary, but it's not a job for someone else to look at. Good luck.

[archangle]

Visitor, don't neglect the possibility you have apnea unrelated to any nervous system injuries.

Of course, you may have injury related apnea as well.

Either one needs proper treatment or you will have more brain damage. Get a sleep test as well as visiting the neurologist.

[Otter]

No direct clear relation is found with the brain concussion.

Psychical factors might are involved

Diagnoses difficult to make.

Please only react if you have a Sleep apnea problem which might
have been caused by a head concussion.

47 YO male. Crawled off the kitchen table and landed on my head when I was an infant, 11-13 MO. Concussion. (Scared the hell out of my parents. )

Seasonal allergies from age 5, probably air pollution.

Broke my nose when I was 12, but no concussion. Saw ENT about this as an adult, and he pointed out that my face is slightly curved, likely the result of trauma when I was very young.

Had trouble with my neck when I was 15-27ish. Some headaches with that. Believe I had obstuctive SDB when I was a teenager. Was not morbidly obese. Slept with head propped up so I could breathe. Severe snoring by 18. Girlfriend complained I stopped breathing at night when I was 34.

Mild whiplash with headaches from car accident at 18. Seemed to recover fully.

Non-headache visual migranes started when I was in my early 30's, go away when I sleep. Trouble focusing to read seems related to fatigue, probably milder version of migranes. Eyes get red and itch, but usually don't hurt.

Don't have:

Dizziness(spelled with Zs in English), postcommotional and sometimes Vertigo

Vegetative behaviour

Concentration weakness, yeah. But I always thought it was from lack of sleep. Can be very focused. Always good at acadmics.

AHI about 1 with therapy, very few centrals that can't be attributed to waking state. Still working out whether other sleep problems all go back to OSA or not.

Is my OSA the result of the fall? I wouldn't have thought so, but you did say no direct connection to concussion, and I don't know why I developed OSAS.

[lcosborne]

I have sleep apnea (AHI = 49) and I have had at least 3 and possibly 4 concussions as a child.

[JohnBFisher]

obstructive sleep apnea is probably not due to concussion ... it just happens ... and often tends to be in families. My grandfather had it. My mother has it. I have it. My daughter has it. Just one of those things.

Instead, concussion would tend to show up as central apneas - due to brain stem damage. ... if it does show up.

But that's just my opinion ... based on a lot of reading and personally dealing with both issues.

[Lizistired]

I had a concussion when I was about 14. I had to drag myself out of bed in the morning in high school. Always fell asleep in class. I don't remember ever waking up and feeling refreshed. Makes me wonder. I have a a few other head injuries in the last 16 years but not treated or diagnosed.