Are the health impacts of sleep apnea permanent?

[y08hci0299]

I am 22 years old and was diagnosed with sleep apnea about a year ago. I am currently trying to get used to cpap, and have been reading up on the negative consequences of poor sleep, I am just afraid that the negative impacts are irreversible. Has sleep apnea stunted my brain development in any way? I have also had poor sleep for about 10 months, my moods have gotten worse, my hair has been thinning, and I have started noticing puffiness and lines under my eyes, which is worrying for 22. Does successfully treating sleep apnea reverse these things? I don't want to look 22 going on 40.

[robysue]

I am 22 years old and was diagnosed with sleep apnea about a year ago. I am currently trying to get used to cpap, and have been reading up on the negative consequences of poor sleep, I am just afraid that the negative impacts are irreversible. Has sleep apnea stunted my brain development in any way? I have also had poor sleep for about 10 months, my moods have gotten worse, my hair has been thinning, and I have started noticing puffiness and lines under my eyes, which is worrying for 22. Does successfully treating sleep apnea reverse these things? I don't want to look 22 going on 40.

Treating the OSA with CPAP will allow your body to heal much of the damage untreated OSA may have caused. Treating the OSA with CPAP will also prevent the OSA from causing more damage to your body.

Many people with untreated OSA do experience brain fog and moodiness as symptoms. Most people with these symptoms find that these symptoms go away or at least improve substantially once they get their CPAP therapy optimized and they are sleeping well with the machine every night, all night long.

That said, brain fog and moodiness can also be related to clinical depression. It is possible to have both clinical depression and untreated OSA at the same time. If the brain fog and moodiness do not get better after several weeks or a few months of optimal CPAP therapy, it may be time to reconsider whether depression might be a problem.

The puffiness and lines under your eyes could be caused by your current on-going struggle to get used to CPAP therapy. In general if mask leaks or the exhaust flow are bouncing off your bedcovers and back towards your eyes, that can lead to your eyes lookin and feeling puffy. So what does your leak situation look like? Do you have a machine that records full efficacy data? If so, then look at the data and figure out whether you've got a serious leak problem. If the problem is more that the intentional exhaust flow from the mask is bouncing back into your eyes, using a eye mask is an easy thing to try to fix the problem. Eye masks designed for sleeping travelers are cheap, usually comfortable, and often quite effective at preventing the eyes from being irritated by the exhaust flow bouncing off the bed covers and back towards eyes.

As for the fact that your hair is thinning: That's most likely a genetic problem and unlikely to be affected positively or negatively by OSA and CPAP. Look at your mother's brothers and father. Your hair loss pattern has a high chance of looking like theirs.

[KenM]

it will improve your sleep
more sleep = better mood
loose the puffy under the eyes from lack of sleep

no sleep can make you do stupid things, so getting sleep will make you smarter?
hair loss is genetic, shave it & look sexy

I ignored OSA for decades. no clue why I'm not dead.
Convinced its related to my hypertension and cardiomegaly

choice is yours
sleep & live or don't sleep & play with death

[chunkyfrog]

Much of the damage should reverse with effective and consistent treatment;
especially factoring in your youth. I am optimistic. Please keep us posted. We love good news.

[D.H.]

If you're 22, you can reverse most of the damage. If you wait a long time, perhaps less so. For instance, you probably can't reverse full blown diabetes, you might never fully recover from a stroke or heart attack. You might also lose some of your eyesight from glaucoma. You might have to take blood pressure medicine for the rest of your life.

Use CPAP now, every night, and even for naps!

[chunkyfrog]

When we are young, we often feel invulnerable; but sleep apnea is like Kryptonite.
It does not wait until we are doddering old codgers.
But we could get there sooner than we expect if we pretend that cpap can wait.

[Guest]

Would you be happy if it only prevented further damage?

[Holden4th]

Your brain always has the capacity to form new and interconnecting neural pathways, regardless of age. While OSA may (and that's not necessarily proven) have limited this growth, once any impediment is removed then the growth carries on as normal. You might be behind the 8 ball at this point in time but choosing to use xPAP therapy will put you back on track again.

[ajack]

In 3-12 months, your white brain matter returns to normal
http://bottomlineinc.com/health/apnea/c ... leep-apnea