Help Interpreting Sleep Data, I think it's causing serious issues..

[putsrirarchaonit]

Hey all,

Very very long story short, I started using a cpap about 2 years ago, on my own without a test (I know, chastise me later, I need some help right now ). It helped my sleep massively! I felt great until a few months ago, I started having intermittent lightheaded-ness. I am a powerlifter and strongman, and was ramping up training for a competition. I didn't think any of it, just thought I wasn't eating enough and was experiencing some low blood sugar or something.

All of a sudden things got worse, and the lightheadedness quite literally, never left. Everyday, all day, I am lightheaded. I have to hold the cart just to make it through the grocery store.

I went to my primary, and my BP was high. Traditionally I have always had great BP. So they put me on BP meds, that just made it all worse and made me feel REALLY sick constantly. All kinds of scary feelings like I was having a stroke. EKG, MRI, CT, etc.. all look great. Bloodwork looks fantastic. I am a big guy but young and strong, in 2018 I lost 60lbs but am still in the 300's.. that will change in the next few months.

I came off the BP meds and felt better within 24-48hrs, except this lightheaded-ness WILL NOT GO AWAY!

It was bad enough I couldn't drive until recently, but now its kind of stalled right now and I'm lightheaded all the time. It never goes away. It's not a "got up too fast" and its not vertigo, or anything other than that I am lightheaded. I know this cause I've done all kinds of crazy tests, tried to align some crystals in my ears? nothing has worked

I switched to a new Auto machine and it seemed to get a bit better but is still "stuck."

I ran my previous machine @ 10-ish pressure and that seemed to work well with a nasal pillow mask. I think my OSA is too severe for that and I was having bad leaks, so I switched to a full face mask at the same time.

I've had much better sleep and it's taking my pressure WAY higher. Everyone keeps telling me its my high BP causing the lightheaded-ness, but I really think something is rooted in my sleep because of how sudden this started. I could definitely be wrong but things aren't adding up and I've seen a bunch of specialists and have even more lined up. I'm very frustrated and this is because difficult to manage in general.

So maybe you all could tell me if this data looks good or not? I'm reviewing it with the neurologist next week.

Anyway, if you made it this far.. thank you! Here's the screenshots:

https://imgur.com/a/zFEmPpZ

[palerider]

Hey all,

Very very long story short, I started using a cpap about 2 years ago, on my own without a test (I know, chastise me later, I need some help right now ).

Why do you think we'd chastise you? we don't work that way. We're all about self help and taking control of your therapy.

I don't see anything that 'needs fixin' in your screenshots... they look quite good.

[David1447]

Hey all,

Very very long story short, I started using a cpap about 2 years ago, on my own without a test (I know, chastise me later, I need some help right now ). It helped my sleep massively! I felt great until a few months ago, I started having intermittent lightheaded-ness. I am a powerlifter and strongman, and was ramping up training for a competition. I didn't think any of it, just thought I wasn't eating enough and was experiencing some low blood sugar or something.

All of a sudden things got worse, and the lightheadedness quite literally, never left. Everyday, all day, I am lightheaded. I have to hold the cart just to make it through the grocery store.

I went to my primary, and my BP was high. Traditionally I have always had great BP. So they put me on BP meds, that just made it all worse and made me feel REALLY sick constantly. All kinds of scary feelings like I was having a stroke. EKG, MRI, CT, etc.. all look great. Bloodwork looks fantastic. I am a big guy but young and strong, in 2018 I lost 60lbs but am still in the 300's.. that will change in the next few months.

I came off the BP meds and felt better within 24-48hrs, except this lightheaded-ness WILL NOT GO AWAY!

It was bad enough I couldn't drive until recently, but now its kind of stalled right now and I'm lightheaded all the time. It never goes away. It's not a "got up too fast" and its not vertigo, or anything other than that I am lightheaded. I know this cause I've done all kinds of crazy tests, tried to align some crystals in my ears? nothing has worked

I switched to a new Auto machine and it seemed to get a bit better but is still "stuck."

I ran my previous machine @ 10-ish pressure and that seemed to work well with a nasal pillow mask. I think my OSA is too severe for that and I was having bad leaks, so I switched to a full face mask at the same time.

I've had much better sleep and it's taking my pressure WAY higher. Everyone keeps telling me its my high BP causing the lightheaded-ness, but I really think something is rooted in my sleep because of how sudden this started. I could definitely be wrong but things aren't adding up and I've seen a bunch of specialists and have even more lined up. I'm very frustrated and this is because difficult to manage in general.

So maybe you all could tell me if this data looks good or not? I'm reviewing it with the neurologist next week.

Anyway, if you made it this far.. thank you! Here's the screenshots:

https://imgur.com/a/zFEmPpZ

Your screenshots look good, like Palerider said and from my limited knowledge. I'm also a lifter, not quite a powerlifter but do focus on my numbers in the compounds a lot. I would advise you to first and foremost drop everything you're doing and stop focusing on your powerlifting numbers. I know how that can be, but the issue at hand is more pressing. I'm about to say something you may not want to hear but need to: start a cut. I'm not certain what your food methodology at this point in time is but it sounds like you're either perma bulking or just going at it willy-nilly. STOP. You weigh 300 pounds. You're either arnold freaking schwarzenegger or just morbidly obese. I don't mean to offend, and sorry if what I write here has that effect, but it's true. If you really are just that strong with Deadlift numbers in the 500's, I stand corrected. But if you're not, drop everything and start walking on that treadmill. That kind of weight is a STRAIN on the body. Some people handle it, some don't, nobody handles it indefinitely (not in a we all die kind lf of way. In a heart attack kind of way).

Get a grip on yourself before the bar. Good luck.

[kteague]

What is your plan to address the high blood pressure? There's lots of different meds to try. That would be my priority. Do you have a blood pressure monitor to check it when you have these episodes to see if a pattern emerges? Are your blood sugar readings stable? Sure hope in your upcoming appointments your docs can pinpoint a cause of the lightheadedness.

[D.H.]

To the OP:

Those screenshots look pretty good. Lots of people on this forum would be very happy with your numbers! I would suggest trying a min of 13.5; see how that works for you.

Please fill in your profile so that we know what equipment you use. I know from the attachment, but it's better to put it in the profile.

Also, not feeling well could be a number of health issues, including (but not limited to) Narcolepsy.

[putsrirarchaonit]

Thanks everyone. Knowing the sleep data looks good is helping me de-stress from this situation.

To address a few things:

I've been cutting weight for awhile (down 60lbs) and am continuing to cut with a goal of 242, currently 338 this morning. Not focused on numbers since this happened and even cancelled a meet. I haven't been able to lift much and have been doing more of a bodybuilder routine with lighter weights and higher reps. I'd normally agree to stop lifting heavy all together but it's keeping me sane, and a 500lb DL is something I hit a long time ago, so I think with working at like 50% max weights, I'm probably fine with the strain. EKG looked great, primary said my heart is that of someone who is athletic.

Blood sugar: It's good, stable and my a1c is in a great spot.

The BP:

This is tricky, all the meds I have tried just make me really sick. Losartan, amlodopin by itself, amlodopine/lisinopril, lisinopril by itself. Theory is that I'm spiking when I come into the Dr office because I instantly start having anxiety when they put the cuff on. It's the weirdest thing and something I've never felt before this started. Now I have occasional panic attacks/anxiety and that complicates it because I've never felt those things before and don't know how to process them, so my BP spikes gnarly high and then comes right back down.

In the meantime I started taking something to help with that and it's calmed me a lot. But the lightheadedness still persists and is not in episodes.

I have a cuff at home, I think it may be a hair too small but in general I'm around 150. I've been 140 or even under 140 in office once the anxiety goes away. The scary thing is I'll come in at 180, then 10 minutes later it's back down to 150. So we think 150 is my baseline but I really think that's elevated as well. I tried a klonopin before a office visit 2 weeks ago and I came in at 146, that was with my hands getting sweaty when the nurse put the cuff on. I'm getting more comfortable with the cuff and that's helping not having spikes.

I've never had a health issue before so I think that's why mentally I'm just not handling it well, I've only ever been to the doctor for cough/cold type stuff. So I went from 0 to 100 in terms of health issues.

The reason I think it's rooted in sleep (AND BP complicating it and or a cause from it?) is by the end of the day sometimes, my lightheadedness will have subsided a fair amount but going to sleep is like hitting the reset button. I also took a nap yesterday and woke up with my eyes blurrier. The nap was about 1.5h, AHI 0.0.

I also just started on this machine a few weeks ago. I wonder if I've been under pressured for almost 2 years and I'm just quite literally going to have to sleep this off now that the new machine is giving me better therapy -- in addition to getting the BP down.

[raisedfist]

Have you asked your physician about taking a low dose of Cartia XT (120MG) aka Diltiazem? I take this and it's an extended release capsule, so it doesn't hit you all at once and it's good for 24 hours. It improves and stabilizes my BP, Heart Rate and stabile chest pain (angina) without being a strong dose that will make you lightheaded. I haven't noticed any side effects in about two years aside from a bit of swelling in the ankles for the first few weeks, but that went away thankfully.

[realshelby]

I deal with high blood pressure readings at the Doctors office. A whole other subject, known as "white coat syndrome". While my blood pressure has never been as high as some of those you mention, I have learned enough over the years to know what it is supposed to be.

Bottom line is that every Doctor I talk with has told me ANYTHING over either number of 135/85 is above the limit they want to see. Their words, not mine.

You have a blood pressure monitor at home. Use it. Take it with you to the Doctor and see if it reads close to what their machine does. If close, take readings at different times of day. Write them down. Show these to the Doctor, let them decide if readings at their office are indeed inflated. Or not.

Based on exactly what I wrote in the above paragraph, my medication was changed. I was actually having too low blood pressure! Very dizzy when standing up when sitting for a bit.

Anyway, while I have some occasional dizzy spells, they were there before I started cpap. May or may not be related directly to blood pressure or medication from it.

I don't know anything about body building. I have heard that it is common to take stuff to promote muscle growth. I would be concerned that some or one of these is causing the dizziness.

[putsrirarchaonit]

Yeah we're going to see if I can try a different med for the BP. I do think on some of my earlier dosages I was dipping low which was giving me those weird symptoms.

"white coat" -- 100% absolutely have this. That said though, I do track @ home and the average is around 145 but just hearing the cuff start gives me a little jitter, which is why I think that's elevated too, even if just a little. Lately I've been having my fiance check me 3x in a row without telling me and then giving me the #'s. I have a spreadsheet that maps everything out.

I don't take anything other than fish oil and vit d. All my vitamins/nutrients come from diet, which is in check until its not. I do binge here and there but it's not the worse and I just get back on it the next day and hit an extra workout.

Basic day is literally like:

Breakfast:
- 4 egg whites/100g white potato/avocado (potato+avocado for the potassium to bring the BP down, and the healthy fats keep me full)
- 4oz concentrate cranberry/12oz OJ (concentrate cranberry stimulates thyroid)
Lunch:
- turkey/swiss roll ups, pickle, handful of blueberries
Pre-workout meal:
- 4-6oz lean meat, 30g of some carb.. white potato/rice, spinach, red bell pepper
Dinner/Post-workout meal:
- 6-8oz protein, generally a leaner meat.. a carb source (sweet potato instead of white potato or rice), salad and/or some vegetable
Pre-bedtime snack:
- 1c 0% fage yogurt, blueberries and/or kiwi, 2tbsp honey

Non workout days I cut the carbs back a bit but will up other things like add some peanut butter so I can hit my calories, otherwise I'm in too much of a deficit.

Unless there's something really really missing, diet is in check, bloodwork looks great, no abnormalities on MRI and CT, it has to be the BP just I'm not sure what or why it came all of a sudden. Which is why I wonder if something it happening while I'm sleeping, maybe making my BP spike then once I wake up I'm back to normal (still elevated) but lightheaded all day because of the spike.

It's super confusing. I'm going to have the neurologist send me for another MRI, this time with contrast just incase there's something there that got missed.

Thanks for letting me vent and brain dump in this thread. It's been helpful even if just so I can verbalize whats going on.

[colomom]

You mention that the BP cuff you use at home is a bit to small for you, using to small of a cuff can give you false high BP readings.

Congrats on your weight loss! How rapidly did you loose that 60lbs? The typical days meal plan that you list sounds very healthy, but it's pretty low calorie considering your size and exercise regimen. Loosing weight to rapidly thru intense exercise coupled with to drastic of a cut in calories could cause lightheadedness.

[putsrirarchaonit]

I think it's just a hair small but was mostly using it to make sure the BP is tracking downward, even if its not 100% correct if the # moves down that's a good benchmark.

I started cutting back in March, so 8-9mo..

Re-reading it I might be missing a meal from my post above but I usually get around 2400cals. Still low for me, about 1000 in deficit, to offset any bad decisions and if I mis-weigh or calculate something. Some stuff in myfitnesspal I don't trust but it appears right so I roll with it. I try not to be neurotic so that big deficit gives me wiggle room. If I feel like I need to eat I generally will. A lot of times depends on the workout and when I goto bed really.

[David1447]

I've been cutting weight for awhile (down 60lbs) and am continuing to cut with a goal of 242, currently 338 this morning. Not focused on numbers since this happened and even cancelled a meet. I haven't been able to lift much and have been doing more of a bodybuilder routine with lighter weights and higher reps. I'd normally agree to stop lifting heavy all together but it's keeping me sane, and a 500lb DL is something I hit a long time ago, so I think with working at like 50% max weights, I'm probably fine with the strain. EKG looked great, primary said my heart is that of someone who is athletic.

Huh, okay. You're not inexperienced. I wish you the best and hope you get to the bottom of this. I do have nights where the graph is good in SleepyHead, but my day goes horribly. Try raising or LOWERING the mins. I tried raising my min a few days ago and it made me feel sick the next day, same deal the day after until I returned to my normal 13.5/20. It's just two nights, but, worth a shot if the graphs aren't playing along with the symptoms. Let us know how it goes.

[putsrirarchaonit]

Yeah the crazy thing is I feel great for the most part other than the lightheaded stuff. I'll bump the min Tonight and see what happens.

I also think the spiking BP threw my eyes off a bit and I have an eye appt coming to update my prescription. I think part of it is lack of sharpness there making the lightheadedness 'worse.'

[palerider]

The BP:

This is tricky, all the meds I have tried just make me really sick. Losartan, amlodopin by itself, amlodopine/lisinopril, lisinopril by itself. Theory is that I'm spiking when I come into the Dr office because I instantly start having anxiety when they put the cuff on. It's the weirdest thing and something I've never felt before this started. Now I have occasional panic attacks/anxiety and that complicates it because I've never felt those things before and don't know how to process them, so my BP spikes gnarly high and then comes right back down.

"white coat syndrome", get a BP meter, and monitor it yourself at home. they're not very expensive... the wrist ones work fine, as long as you remember to hold them at the level of your heart.

I have a cuff at home, I think it may be a hair too small but in general I'm around 150. I've been 140 or even under 140 in office once the anxiety goes away. The scary thing is I'll come in at 180, then 10 minutes later it's back down to 150.

If it's too small, wear it on your forearm. just hold your arm so the cuff is at heart level. that's the important bit, that the measurement point is at heart level.

130/80 is a good target pressure.

They should your pressure in the office towards the *end* of the visit, they need to wait for a while not when you first sit down.

The reason I think it's rooted in sleep (AND BP complicating it and or a cause from it?) is by the end of the day sometimes, my lightheadedness will have subsided a fair amount but going to sleep is like hitting the reset button. I also took a nap yesterday and woke up with my eyes blurrier. The nap was about 1.5h, AHI 0.0.

I also just started on this machine a few weeks ago. I wonder if I've been under pressured for almost 2 years and I'm just quite literally going to have to sleep this off now that the new machine is giving me better therapy -- in addition to getting the BP down.

It's possible it has to do with sleep, but based on your numbers, it's not because of sleep apnea.