Sleep Apnea and Memory

[Starlette]

Good morning everyone.

On and off for a very long time, I would randomly pick folks to review their profile and noticed that many of you are very well educated and have high level positions. My assumption that though you have sleep apnea, it hasn't affected your memory. When I look at these profiles, it saddens me VERY, VERY much that my memory isn't up to par as so many of you. The reason for my sadness is due to the kind of memory I have, which is the reason I cannot move up in the workforce. I once brought this up to my therapist. She said memory will differ from one person to another because of our brain chemistry. No, I am not beginning to have dementia. I've noticed this problem since my teen years. I know that I've had sleep apnea since the age of 16. However, I never knew treatment was available to treat my sleep apnea until April 2008 (kudos to Hubby). I cannot understand why so many of you are so highly educated and have such high level positions and deal with sleep apnea which appears to not have affected your memory to have the positions you do have.

Starlette

[khauser]

Hi Starlette,
I was looking for a question to which I could answer "I don't remember"... Oh well.

I certainly fit the profile you describe. Actually it depends on full definitions. I'm a high school graduate but never went to college. I taught myself programming and got a position in the 80s when it was possible to do so. No one since has cared about the lack of college ... but that's not what you want to know. As I seem to mention in more posts than I would have thought, I am a chronic pain patient as well. I have other medical issues, and I can tell you that more than one drug has caused me to suffer in the memory department. One in particular was Topamax. It has a nick-name: Dopamax. That drug, initially created to treat seizures, really did help with the chronic pain, but even at the lower doses I was taking it severely interfered with my ability to recall. Easily, 20 times a day, I would be trying to say something and couldn't come up with the word that I knew was in there somewhere. I finally had to stop taking it, and I am now functional again.

It sounds like you've always had memory issues, at least since puberty ... is that right? Are the recall problems or "storage" problems. In other words, do you fail to create the memory, and thus can't ever get the information, or is it in there like with me, but you're unable to grab it? Are there any medical issues that started around the same time? I'm sure you mentioned this to your doctor, but did you include the fact that this isn't new, and tell him or her when it started?

There ARE some techniques for increasing one's memory. I don't know what you've tried.

And certainly an oxygen-deprived brain can have memory issues. It is now strongly believed that the sleep process is REQUIRED to move short term memory in to long term storage.

-Kevin

[Viperdave]

I wish i could say that my memory isnt affected..

I am a mechanical engineer, i consider myself to be fairly successful thus far (at 27). However, my short term memory is garbage. I am the post-it king. and even then i still cant get it right all the time. Between post-its and calendar reminders, i manage to get by ok.

[Debijo]

Glad you brought this up! I have been a little scared lately that maybe I have had some mini-strokes or something? I just can't find my words anymore. It is frustrating, and because I had studied medical terminology, did have a pretty decent vocabulary at one time. I have been getting some word game apps to use what I don't want to lose!

Debi

[JDS74]

Starlette

Sleep apnea can indeed affect memery as well as thought processes.

Other things that affect nemory are vitamin B-12 deficiency. Your doctor can have a test done that will check that. If you level is low, there is treatment for that. If it is in the lower half of the normal range this doesn't always mean your B-12 is actually normal, so be a little cautious in interpreting the results. If it is in the low normal range or is below the normal range, taking an OTC B-12 supplement of 1000mg per day for a couple of weeks and then repeating the test should supply additional information. The blood level should got up quite a bit in that case. If it doesn't, then you may have a form of anemia that can be treated with B-12 injections.

People with memory issues should first identify the type of memory problem.

People learn and remember in different ways.

Some remember what they read, some what they see, and some what they hear. If you can figure out that your problem is one of these, then take action to remember in the way that works best foryou.

For example, if you rmember best when you read, then try to develop the habit of writing down what is said and then repeating it back is one way of doing better.

To help my memory problems, I do the crossword puzzle every day and I also write things down.

[BlackSpinner]

I have always had issues with memorization. As long as I understood a concept I could regurgitate it. But rote memory was always an issue. I was probably the only programmer in the office that had a full set of well thumbed documentation (before the internet). I am an excellent programmer, however remembering the exact format of a date mask or command was a true issue. People made fun of it but they never questioned my ability to churn out code fast and efficiently that rarely needed support. However when I lost my job a few years ago the industry had changed, now you have to pass massive tests based on rote memory just to get an interview. Now I occasionally do contract work for old employers.

One of the reasons I have problems is that I nearly died from a kidney infection at 13. I spent 2 weeks in a coma. I also spent almost a year recovering reading everything I could get my hands on. I learned coping skills.

Getting on cpap made a huge difference not so much in memory as in learning new things easily.

[SleepingUgly]

And some of us are highly educated, but thanks to OSA, we are underachieving. I am having a great deal of trouble with my memory, and it's pretty depressing.

[Blindrage]

Good morning everyone.

On and off for a very long time, I would randomly pick folks to review their profile and noticed that many of you are very well educated and have high level positions. My assumption that though you have sleep apnea, it hasn't affected your memory. When I look at these profiles, it saddens me VERY, VERY much that my memory isn't up to par as so many of you. The reason for my sadness is due to the kind of memory I have, which is the reason I cannot move up in the workforce. I once brought this up to my therapist. She said memory will differ from one person to another because of our brain chemistry. No, I am not beginning to have dementia. I've noticed this problem since my teen years. I know that I've had sleep apnea since the age of 16. However, I never knew treatment was available to treat my sleep apnea until April 2008 (kudos to Hubby). I cannot understand why so many of you are so highly educated and have such high level positions and deal with sleep apnea which appears to not have affected your memory to have the positions you do have.

Starlette

Do not assume your memory issues are abnormal. I have a masters degree and work as a professional, but just ask my wife how many things I forget on a daily basis.

I get by with lots of notes that I refer to constantly. Lot of "to do" lists, and a whole lot of accomplishing the highest priority things as soon as they come up. I get caught doing last minute low priority items all the time just because I forgot they needed to get done until someone mentions them.

[Denial Dave]

prior to CPAP therapy, I fondly called my memory issues "CRS"... Can't Remember Sh*t.... I chalked it up to simply getting older... I'm 58.

since going on CPAP back in September, my memory problems are going away.... Everyday, I notice dramatic improvements in short term and longer term recall.

Dave

[Loreena]

I try not to think about what might have been or what's it done (SA), but instead try to get 10,000 steps a day in and take lecithin (which both are shown to improve brain matter), low dose vitamin E (100 mg), magnesium and probiotic (keep regular), as well as other vitamins. I keep thinking my brain is getting better and better--I could be wrong, but I try to not let my mind go other places. Hope this helps. Also, I figure having sleep apnea in this life is worth major purgatory points in the next.

[prdunson]

i think debijo was in my brain on this one ,i am bad as well struggle with finding words mot of the time my wife is a R. N studying to be a Nurse Practioner and she said she may think i have had mini stroke/strokes 45yrs old

[Captain_Midnight]

Starlette writes: I cannot understand why so many of you are so highly educated and have such high level positions and deal with sleep apnea which appears to not have affected your memory to have the positions you do have.

I have had OSA since I was in elementary school, and memory issues have made life interesting. College and grad schools were uphill battles, to say the least. I was in a Ph.D. program, and had to settle for an M.Sc. as I just couldn't summon up the info that I needed during my oral qualifying exam. (I'm pretty confident that if OSA diagnoses and CPAP therapy were commonly available in 1977, I would have passed my oral.)

As a professional, I had to work pretty hard, but as my career went along, I found myself having more and more "senior" moments. Finally, shortly before my diagnosis in 2005, I had to take myself out of a lead position in chemical emergency management planning and response, as I just didn't have enough mental CPU power (including recall) to respond effectively in an emergency. (I also think that I probably had mono at the time, which precipitated the big decline).

Here's the best part. Since starting cpap (then apap), which I have optimized for the lowest AHI (Doc is fine w me doing this), my mental CPU has come back! I remember things now that I could not have before, and I just love it. I also take fish oil, vit d, multis, and a few other supplements. I think that these help overcome the systemic and local inflammation that makes us untreated apneics sluggish. Regular exercise and watching weight (thus avoiding diabetes) are important as well.

So, hang in there, keep up w the therapy.

.

[chunkyfrog]

My mind has always been a hunk of Swiss cheese.
People tend to think I'm smart because when I hit a hole, I try to keep quiet.

[zoocrewphoto]

My long term memory is pretty good. I am the best person at work for remember the various item numbers. People can ask me for the correct code faster than they can look it up.

but I can't remember what I was doing 5 minutes ago. Or where I set something down. My short term memory is crap, and has been for many years.

[Starlette]

When time becomes available again, I will respond. Atm, I'm no longer feeling like a lone wolf.

Thank you ALL for responding.
Starlette