Memory and mental sharpness

[cubism_dream]

Hi all, I've been lurking this forum for a while now and recently registered. I was diagnosed with OSA back in late August with an AHI of 21.8, with my machine set at 8-12cm. I've been using my machine for about 6 weeks now and started feeling better about two weeks ago. It was pretty amazing because I've been suffering from symptoms of depression and it seemed to have disappeared virtually overnight, going 4 weeks into CPAP therapy.

Anyway, I have two questions: As mentioned earlier, I started feeling better 4 weeks into therapy, feeling peppy and energetic, with my depression symptoms gone. However, for the past two weeks, I've been feeling so-so when I wake up. This may have been due to the fact that I had to switch masks and re-adjust it. I started with a Mirage FX and my sleep doctor prescribed me a Swift FX and chinstrap (I was mouth-breathing), so my DME gave me a loaner to try out. I liked it, so I went back and they gave me a brand new one. Ever since, I've been having issues with fitting it properly on my face. I think I've got it all fitted properly now, but I don't know why I don't wake up feeling all energetic like I did 2 weeks ago. I have other health issues that affect my energy level, so it's difficult to tell. Can anyone shed some light on this?

My second question is regarding memory and mental sharpness. I've suspected that I have been suffering from sleep apnea earlier this year, but as mentioned earlier, I couldn't tell which health issue is causing my fatigue/mood issues. I feel like my short-term memory and ability to focus has been severely affected, which is very detrimental since I'm trying to look for a job. Can any of you fellow hoseheads tell me if and when my memory and mental sharpness will come back? I understand that I've been undiagnosed for so long, so it will take a while to feel the benefits of CPAP. Thanks in advance!

-cd

[mars]

Hi all, I've been lurking this forum for a while now and recently registered. I was diagnosed with OSA back in late August with an AHI of 21.8, with my machine set at 8-12cm. I've been using my machine for about 6 weeks now and started feeling better about two weeks ago. It was pretty amazing because I've been suffering from symptoms of depression and it seemed to have disappeared virtually overnight, going 4 weeks into CPAP therapy.

Anyway, I have two questions: As mentioned earlier, I started feeling better 4 weeks into therapy, feeling peppy and energetic, with my depression symptoms gone. However, for the past two weeks, I've been feeling so-so when I wake up. This may have been due to the fact that I had to switch masks and re-adjust it. I started with a Mirage FX and my sleep doctor prescribed me a Swift FX and chinstrap (I was mouth-breathing), so my DME gave me a loaner to try out. I liked it, so I went back and they gave me a brand new one. Ever since, I've been having issues with fitting it properly on my face. I think I've got it all fitted properly now, but I don't know why I don't wake up feeling all energetic like I did 2 weeks ago. I have other health issues that affect my energy level, so it's difficult to tell. Can anyone shed some light on this?

My second question is regarding memory and mental sharpness. I've suspected that I have been suffering from sleep apnea earlier this year, but as mentioned earlier, I couldn't tell which health issue is causing my fatigue/mood issues. I feel like my short-term memory and ability to focus has been severely affected, which is very detrimental since I'm trying to look for a job. Can any of you fellow hoseheads tell me if and when my memory and mental sharpness will come back? I understand that I've been undiagnosed for so long, so it will take a while to feel the benefits of CPAP. Thanks in advance!

-cd

Hi

Given -

but I don't know why I don't wake up feeling all energetic like I did 2 weeks ago. I have other health issues that affect my energy level, so it's difficult to tell. Can anyone shed some light on this?

and when you ask -

I couldn't tell which health issue is causing my fatigue/mood issues. I feel like my short-term memory and ability to focus has been severely affected, which is very detrimental since I'm trying to look for a job. Can any of you fellow hoseheads tell me if and when my memory and mental sharpness will come back?

I don't see how anybody can help, with so little information given

Both your questions are open ended, and impossible to answer, which would make many of us wonder what was going on.

I suggest you get medical help.

Mars

[Frankie84]

It took a few weeks for my mental sharpness and memory to improve but it's still not as good as I'd like. I wonder if permanent damage is done in this region? I'm not sure but the improvement for me there was slight. I'm pleased to hear that it has helped your depression. I read an article that suggested it couldn't help in that department, that the damage done there was permanent, but this is good news. I had lost some hope there.

I, like you, felt better immediately from treatment but have recently been feeling like it's not working as well. I've just come back from getting the stats on my machine looked at and it suggested that there were some nights that were not as productive. There are two possibilities: 1) my machine is not set right or 2) he suggested that stress may play a part. You say you are currently looking for work so I wonder if this times in with when you felt bad? If so then I suspect the stress is making your apnoea worse. If you think I'm on the right track here, perhaps try meditation? I'm going to start doing that in the evenings to help me manage stress in the hopes of more successful treatment. Otherwise go back to your doctor. If you have a machine that records your apnoea each night then they can download that information and tell you what's going on, if anything.

good luck

[Mary Z]

cubism_dream, this is all very individual. I know that often a sleep debt must be repaid and a person may feel a setback in the first weeks/months of therapy. Depression alone has a big impact on memory and mental sharpness and recovery is, as I said, very individual.
Try doing memory exercises like crossword puzzles and watch for any progress in your ability to solve them.
Are you able to check your numbers? How effective is your therapy?
Good luck.

[jazzer4]

Hi all, I've been lurking this forum for a while now and recently registered. I was diagnosed with OSA back in late August with an AHI of 21.8, with my machine set at 8-12cm. I've been using my machine for about 6 weeks now and started feeling better about two weeks ago. It was pretty amazing because I've been suffering from symptoms of depression and it seemed to have disappeared virtually overnight, going 4 weeks into CPAP therapy.

My second question is regarding memory and mental sharpness. I've suspected that I have been suffering from sleep apnea earlier this year, but as mentioned earlier, I couldn't tell which health issue is causing my fatigue/mood issues. I feel like my short-term memory and ability to focus has been severely affected, which is very detrimental since I'm trying to look for a job. Can any of you fellow hoseheads tell me if and when my memory and mental sharpness will come back? I understand that I've been undiagnosed for so long, so it will take a while to feel the benefits of CPAP. Thanks in advance!

-cd

You may love or hate "my answer" to your second question and I can only tell you what happened with me.

My memory and mental sharpness started to return very slowly a little bit at a time.
Then after a year it seemed to happen faster and was more noticeable.
Now around the two year mark I feel I have no more memory or mental sharpness problems.
But then again I'm finally being treated very well with c-pap with a low AHI and very very little leaks. But it took me a year and a half to get to that wonderful point in my therapy.
C-pap is definitely for me in many regards.
P.S. Everyone around me has noticed the change in my memory and mental sharpness.
Before C-pap life was embarrassing when dealing with other people as they would tell me things and It seemed to go in one ear and out the other.
I had yellow sticky notes all over the house.
Not anymore and I'm lovin' it. What a huge difference for me.

The part you might not like is it took so long. It surely didn't happen "overnight".

[Emilia]

I felt some difference within the first week of therapy... kind of like someone cleared out the cobwebs inside my head. Now a year+ into it, I can say my mind is pretty sharp again. I am probably a bit older than you, as I am retired, so I do still have a 'senior moment' here and there.... but overall, I know I am much improved. I always have Scrabble or Words with Friends games going to keep my mind active. I play on my computer, iTouch, or smartphone with several games going all the time. I also read a LOT to keep my mind active on a wide array to topics and news.

The fact that your depression lifted is a wonderful result of your therapy...... I have no doubt you will improve on all fronts. It may be subtle at first, but at some point you will realize how you are much more alert and able to think better. A B12 supplement may also help. If you don't take vitamins, the B12 is an excellent one for the brain. I take a sublingual tab that dissolves under the tongue which gets into the system more readily.

Keep at it..... you will find, as your body heals, you will begin to realize in how many ways you are improving!

[Suetois]

It took me 8 months to get used to CPAP therapy after many years of undiagnosed sleep apnea. It's been about 4 months since then, and I just noticed a couple of weeks ago that my memory is much better than it was. I'm in my mid-50s and had attributed my memory problems to age, but now I'm thinking that a large part of the problem was simply due to the sleep issues. I think there's probably some neurological healing that can take place once therapy is consistently effective.

Which is not to say that I don't still have my moments. A couple of days ago I went back to the kitchen to warm up my coffee in the microwave. I was thinking that I needed to put the parrot back in his cage, and caught myself putting my coffee in the parrot cage. Oops. At least I didn't wind up putting the parrot in the microwave. That would have never happened when I was 20yo. However, a year ago there's a good chance that I would have left the coffee in the cage without even noticing that I'd done it. I'm not usually on autopilot like that anymore. It's a big relief since I was truly concerned that I was developing Alzheimer's. It makes me wonder whether a sleep study shouldn't be part a routine part of an Alzheimer's diagnosis.

[allennosleep]

My second question is regarding memory and mental sharpness. I've suspected that I have been suffering from sleep apnea earlier this year, but as mentioned earlier, I couldn't tell which health issue is causing my fatigue/mood issues. I feel like my short-term memory and ability to focus has been severely affected, which is very detrimental since I'm trying to look for a job. Can any of you fellow hoseheads tell me if and when my memory and mental sharpness will come back? I understand that I've been undiagnosed for so long, so it will take a while to feel the benefits of CPAP. Thanks in advance!

-cd

mental sharpness was the #1 reason I went in to get looked at for apnea. I've been on the machine now for 2 months and I've been working out religiously. My memory has gotten better for certain but its still not perfect. My memory had gotten so bad at one point I looked at a rain gutter and couldn't remember what it was called. I don't have those moments anymore and am progressively getting better. I fear the same thing as you thought that permanent damage has been done. Those memories I lost seem to really be gone unless I refresh them (at which point they seem to stay refreshed).

I take hope from many here on the board that tell me that it doesn't get fully better all at once but 'does' get better over time if you keep the treatment up.

[M.D.Hosehead]

Another way to think of it--and I don't know whether this applies to you--is: if some brain cells have died due to lack of O2, and your brain has to "relearn" how to function without those cells, it's somewhat like recovering from a stroke.

You have to keep your brain working, progress is slow, and it's not unusual that people are still getting 1-2 years later. Definitely a marathon, not a sprint.

[Suetois]

I don't think it's possible to tell you when (or if) your memory and mental acuity will improve. It's a very individual thing. For me, it took about four month before I started noticing improvement. Some people see improvement after a year or so. Some never really do. I think it depends on the degree of damage that's been done and your individual ability to recover from that--just the way some people manage to recover a lot of function after a stroke, and others don't. I'm sorry I can't be more precise that that.

[mars]

Postby cubism_dream on Fri Nov 18, 2011 3:20 am
My second question is regarding memory and mental sharpness. I've suspected that I have been suffering from sleep apnea earlier this year, but as mentioned earlier, I couldn't tell which health issue is causing my fatigue/mood issues. I feel like my short-term memory and ability to focus has been severely affected, which is very detrimental since I'm trying to look for a job. Can any of you fellow hoseheads tell me if and when my memory and mental sharpness will come back? I understand that I've been undiagnosed for so long, so it will take a while to feel the benefits of CPAP. Thanks in advance!

My second question is regarding memory and mental sharpness. I've suspected that I have been suffering from sleep apnea earlier this year, but as mentioned earlier, I couldn't tell which health issue is causing my fatigue/mood issues. I feel like my short-term memory and ability to focus has been severely affected, which is very detrimental since I'm trying to look for a job. Can any of you fellow hoseheads tell me if and when my memory and mental sharpness will come back? I understand that I've been undiagnosed for so long, so it will take a while to feel the benefits of CPAP. Thanks in advance!

Hi All

So why is mickle_john (with 8 posts found but only 4 shown) repeating what cubism_dream said in the original post.

Are these two the same person ?

In any case, any one who asks for advice, and says they have other health issues, but does not say what they are, therefore making any sort of reasonable advice impossible to give, is not fair dinkum in my opinion.

I could be wrong, but......................................

Mars

[Pugsy]

So why is mickle_john (with 8 posts found but only 4 shown) repeating what cubism_dream said in the original post.

Are these two the same person ?

Link in signature. Spam. Missing 4 posts were probably spam deleted.

[So Well]

Hi all, I've been lurking this forum for a while now and recently registered. I was diagnosed with OSA back in late August with an AHI of 21.8, with my machine set at 8-12cm.

Very disappointed that no one has asked you what your AHI and leak rate are now. For all we know your AHI may still be 21.

Download the free ResScan software from ResMed's official site and check the details of what is going on with your breathing and your therapy at night. This is fundamental to good therapy.

When you sharpen up, you should be able to keep your spamming alter egos straight. (Good catch Mars and Pugsy!)

[Mr Bill]

Postby cubism_dream on Fri Nov 18, 2011 3:20 am
My second question is regarding memory and mental sharpness. I've suspected that I have been suffering from sleep apnea earlier this year, but as mentioned earlier, I couldn't tell which health issue is causing my fatigue/mood issues. I feel like my short-term memory and ability to focus has been severely affected, which is very detrimental since I'm trying to look for a job. Can any of you fellow hoseheads tell me if and when my memory and mental sharpness will come back? I understand that I've been undiagnosed for so long, so it will take a while to feel the benefits of CPAP. Thanks in advance!

My second question is regarding memory and mental sharpness. I've suspected that I have been suffering from sleep apnea earlier this year, but as mentioned earlier, I couldn't tell which health issue is causing my fatigue/mood issues. I feel like my short-term memory and ability to focus has been severely affected, which is very detrimental since I'm trying to look for a job. Can any of you fellow hoseheads tell me if and when my memory and mental sharpness will come back? I understand that I've been undiagnosed for so long, so it will take a while to feel the benefits of CPAP. Thanks in advance!

Hi All

So why is mickle_john (with 8 posts found but only 4 shown) repeating what cubism_dream said in the original post.

Are these two the same person ?

In any case, any one who asks for advice, and says they have other health issues, but does not say what they are, therefore making any sort of reasonable advice impossible to give, is not fair dinkum in my opinion.

I could be wrong, but......................................

Mars

Ah Ha!

There have been several good responses. My progress has been similar to that of jazzer4. So, I refer you to her reply.

[mars]

Mr Bill said -

Ah Ha!

There have been several good responses. My progress has been similar to that of jazzer4. So, I refer you to her reply.

Why ?

Mars