anxiety and feeling out of balance

General Discussion on any topic relating to CPAP and/or Sleep Apnea.
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nmevan
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anxiety and feeling out of balance

Post by nmevan » Sun Oct 31, 2010 11:43 am

Has anyone experienced this, or know anything about it?

5 weeks ago I started to feel out of sorts, somewhat dizzy...almost like I was going to pass-out or lose my balance. Thank goodness, I never did pass-out. But the sensations caused me to go into a 5 week-long anxiety attack. I saw several doctors and had blood tests...everything was fine except my BP is a bit high at 140/80. I was, however, diagnosed with severe sleep apnea...over 50 AHIs per hour...and I have probably had it for well over a decade. I have been using an auto bi-pap machine for a week, but I am still feeling some of the previously mentioned problems.

I'm wondering if the lack of oxygen to my brain during the years of apnea started to change something in my brain. Also, has anyone heard about cortisol levels and other anxiety producing hormones increasing and causing anxiety due to apnea? And most importantly, will I eventually go back to feeling good again after using my bi-pap machine?

thanks, evan
Last edited by nmevan on Sun Oct 31, 2010 1:56 pm, edited 1 time in total.

davecpap
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Re: anxiety and feeling unbalanced

Post by davecpap » Sun Oct 31, 2010 11:55 am

I actually had my anxiety INCREASE when I started CPAP therapy a few months ago because I was convinced it was a magic bullet and that I should wake up after a night or two of therapy doing cartwheels. When that didn't happen, I started panicking that the anxiety/lethargy were permanent.

Truth is, it was a slow process. It took a while for my body to get used to sleeping with the machine on. Even thought I was 'asleep' all night, I'm assuming its presence was causing arousals - just like the sleep apnea I didn't perceive while alseep was also causing arousals I was unaware of. After I got used to it, then it took a few more weeks to repair the damage done to my body, make up for my sleep debt, etc.. After a couple more weeks I started noticing feeling better.

It was and continues to be more obvious to my wife. I don't sleep in on the weekends anymore, I rarely take evening/afternoon naps, she says I'm doing a lot more around the house, childcare, etc.. I still feel there is room for improvement in how I feel, but I think that has more to do with my sedentary lifestyle and that I need to lose a lot of weight.

Hang in there! It does get better, just for some it takes a while. It is also important to monitor your progress - click 'User Control Panel' in the top left of the page and fill in what kind of equipment you have. Then the folks here will be able to help you better. Its especially important that you have a machine capable of reporting your AHI, leak rate, etc.

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elena88
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Location: california

Re: anxiety and feeling unbalanced

Post by elena88 » Sun Oct 31, 2010 12:09 pm

I'm wondering if the lack of oxygen to my brain during the years of apnea started to change something in my brain. Also, has anyone heard about cortisol levels and other anxiety producing hormones increasing and causing anxiety due to apnea? And most importantly, will I eventually go back to feeling good again after using my bi-pap machine?

thanks, evan
HI Evan,
Welcome to the forum..

I have had OSA since I was a kid and didnt know it.. so I spent the rest of my waking hours wired like a jack rabbit all day long. ..
Yes, my doctor told me I was getting shot up with corisol all night, and especially in the early morning, so I would hit the ground running
when I woke up.. I felt like crap, in a weird way, like I ran a marathon, but I could go all day and all night.. I supposed this energy could have
been funneled off into the anxiety part of my brain, but instead it was like I drank twelve red bulls every day..
I sure got a lot done! I could work 12 hours a day easy...
Anyway, then I got diagnosed with severe apnea this year, and in the beginning it really slowed me down.. I wasnt quite so hyper... so, I think you
are going to find, over time, it wil have the same effect on you..
It takes time, though, your poor body has been thru the ringer for years... also I think I went thru a cortisol withdrawl, it wasnt pretty! OMG!
Hope you skip that, but be ready...... you can just imagine what a cortisol addict would act like without the nightly fix!
good luck!
elena

_________________
Mask: Swift™ FX Nasal Pillow CPAP Mask with Headgear
Humidifier: S9™ Series H5i™ Heated Humidifier with Climate Control
Additional Comments: sleep study: slept 66 min in stage 2 AHI 43.3 had 86 spontaneous arousals I changed pressure from 11 to 4cm now no apap tummy sleeping solved apnea

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nmevan
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Re: anxiety and feeling unbalanced

Post by nmevan » Sun Oct 31, 2010 1:17 pm

thank you both elena and dave for getting back to me!

elena...I had a similar experience in that I have always had loads of energy. I did construction for a living till recently, and I could power-out all day. My doctor was surprised that I never fall asleep during the day, I never take naps, and I never sleep in...never have. He claims that some people with unknown, severe apnea stimulate themselves with high activity like working out hard...which is me. I'm not sure I'm gong to know what normal feels like if I ever reach it...but I will be happy to feel better and to lose my anxiety. thanks again!

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elena88
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Re: anxiety and feeling out of balance

Post by elena88 » Sun Oct 31, 2010 2:20 pm

nmevan wrote:thank you both elena and dave for getting back to me!

elena...I had a similar experience in that I have always had loads of energy. I did construction for a living till recently, and I could power-out all day. My doctor was surprised that I never fall asleep during the day, I never take naps, and I never sleep in...never have. He claims that some people with unknown, severe apnea stimulate themselves with high activity like working out hard...which is me. I'm not sure I'm gong to know what normal feels like if I ever reach it...but I will be happy to feel better and to lose my anxiety. thanks again!
aha, your doctor knows about the cortisol addicts! Not a lot of them do... So we test zero or very low on that epworth sleepiness scale, you could
have said to me, here is ten million dollars, all you have to do is take a nap (naturally) during the day.. No, I could never nap unless I was missing
at least two or three days of sleep..

So anyway, yep youll be calming down, but oh, be ready for withdrawl, I think it hit me about six weeks into the treatment, and nearly wrecked
my marriage.. I went totally off the deep end, I was on edge, got mad at the littlest thing, it was awful.. like drinking a thousand red bulls in
an hour! I was about to jump out of my own skin! eeekorama! But it finally passed, then I became a total slug, went thru that phase, and now
Im trying to find a balance..

Im so glad your doctor told you about the stimulated people who have severe apnea.. when I came here, and I read everyone had daytime sleepiness,
I just didnt get it.. sounded so odd to me.. beware though, people who dont have daytime sleepiness are less likely to embrace the treatment..
because they dont see any results like that.. being able to stay awake during the day.. sure wasnt our problem was it???
However, OSA is so bad for your health, your heart, and your organs.. so your heart will be very happy that you are going to take care of it!

good for you, so glad you got diagonsed before something terrible happened! Your doc sounds really sharp too!

edit to include:
doctor claims that some people with unknown, severe apnea stimulate themselves with high activity like working out hard
Is there a name for these types of people? cuz that is us! Oh I found my twin, thank goodness! want to be recovering cortisol buddies?
There are so few of us! I have been so lonely among the EDS folks (excessive daytime sleepiness) I will never understand that concept!
I wonder why some of us react this way and not the other way.. maybe its the perfect storm of cortisol and our apneas are in such a pattern
that keep us going like this.. I cant wait to share oximeter graphs with you, what fun!

_________________
Mask: Swift™ FX Nasal Pillow CPAP Mask with Headgear
Humidifier: S9™ Series H5i™ Heated Humidifier with Climate Control
Additional Comments: sleep study: slept 66 min in stage 2 AHI 43.3 had 86 spontaneous arousals I changed pressure from 11 to 4cm now no apap tummy sleeping solved apnea
Last edited by elena88 on Sun Oct 31, 2010 5:10 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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nmevan
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Re: anxiety and feeling out of balance

Post by nmevan » Sun Oct 31, 2010 2:45 pm

one more thing...I'm tired today...and it seemed as if I had slept most of the night through. I've felt odd and groggy in the morning since I started treatment.
I'm pretty good for the first few hours of the day, but then I suddenly feel like I didn't get much sleep.
I've read several posts where newbies felt refreshed right after starting treatment. Not me, unfortunately. Is my body just getting used to more oxygen? Am I having more rem sleep? Will that make me feel odd and somewhat tired? Wish I knew all these things. I'd be able to relax more. I know things will take time. But why? Why wouldn't you feel immediately better with more sleep and more oxygen?
evan

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elena88
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Re: anxiety and feeling out of balance

Post by elena88 » Sun Oct 31, 2010 2:50 pm

oh gosh evan we posted at the same time!


are you a light sleeper? are you an insomniac?

how many hours a night did you used to sleep?

I had the same reaction, more tired on the cpap... its very hard for those of us who could go all day to get used to this..

there is an adjusment period for many people, so lets hope thats all it is..

your body doesnt know how to receive oxygen for FREE yet! hang in there.. keep a diary, yes start one today, and write down how you
feel each morning, and what happened the night before... and the day before.. so you can start picking up patterns..

_________________
Mask: Swift™ FX Nasal Pillow CPAP Mask with Headgear
Humidifier: S9™ Series H5i™ Heated Humidifier with Climate Control
Additional Comments: sleep study: slept 66 min in stage 2 AHI 43.3 had 86 spontaneous arousals I changed pressure from 11 to 4cm now no apap tummy sleeping solved apnea

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nmevan
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Re: anxiety and feeling out of balance

Post by nmevan » Sun Oct 31, 2010 2:58 pm

yo, elena
thanks again
yes...I am a light sleeper
no...I'm not an insomniac
in the past, I felt fine with 7 hours of sleep
but I must say, I don't handle being ill very well...never have
but I'm rarely ill
and yes...starting a journal is a great idea
evan

Laurie1041
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Location: Kentucky

Re: anxiety and feeling out of balance

Post by Laurie1041 » Sun Oct 31, 2010 3:28 pm

Dear Evan,

Anxiety is a horrible thing to go through. It may have absolutely nothing to do with sleep apnea. You were likely "triggered" by going through that period of time when you felt as if you were going to pass out. Anxiety has over 60 different signs and symptoms, and feeling like passing out is one of them.

Anxiety and depression go hand in hand. The anxiety starts, your world turns upside down and feels completely different, and you seriously wonder if you are going to feel like your old self. This causes depression.

One of the best cures for anxiety is Cognitive Behaviorial Therapy or CBT. It is one of the most researched types of therapy and beats anti-depressants in persons with mild to moderate depression/anxiety. It is a time-limited therapy, usually about 12-24 sessions. CBT tells us that our thoughts may be distorted which then leads to a change in our emotions - anxiety and depression.

A great workbook that I am using myself is called, "Mind over Mood - Change How You Feel by Changing the Way You Think" by Dennis Greenberger, PhD and Christine A. Padesky, PhD. Another great book is
"The Feeling Good Handbook" and "Feeling Good" both by David A. Burns, M.D. You can get any of these books on Amazon dot com.

If you are feeling terribly plagued by anxiety and until you can start doing some CBT, talk to your doctor about short-term anti-anxiety medication and/or one of the SSRI (Selective Seratonin Reuptake Inhibitors). These can be of significant help in order to help you feel more functional.

Anxiety/Depression is curable! You can read a lot about these issues at psychforum dot com.

Big Hugs to you, Laurie

Guest

Re: anxiety and feeling out of balance

Post by Guest » Sun Oct 31, 2010 4:47 pm

thanks so much to all of you!!

and thanks laurie for the heads-up about CBT.
You mentioned 12-24 sessions.
Are these sessions in the workbook, or must they be done with a licensed CBT therapist?
thanks again

evan

stacia123
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Re: anxiety and feeling out of balance

Post by stacia123 » Mon Nov 01, 2010 6:19 am

Hi Evan. What you describe with feeling like passing out and having anxiety is exactly what happened to me when I first started feeling sick about 5 years ago. Finally 2 1/2 years ago I found a new doctor who is great. My first visit, he walked in and proclaimed "Sleep apnea!" before he even said hello, and he was right. Like you, I have had sleep apnea for a LONG time before it was diagnosed. I had a sleep test after some seizures when I was 13 years old and the machine would buzz constantly because my SA would set it off. The doctors paid no mind and ultimately almost 24 years passed before I was diagnosed and got my CPAP!

The difficulties you have with the biPAP are ones I had in the beginning with my CPAP, too. I've been on CPAP for 2 years now. At first I felt more tired, groggy, and had headaches. I think the feelings were similar to the way one feels when they oversleep. My doc said this was normal and temporary. Thankfully, he was right, and they passed after about 6-8 weeks.

The anxiety has vastly improved, but it took 6 months before I saw a significant difference with anxiety just from the CPAP. What helped me a lot was getting a small paperback by Edmund Bourne called Coping With Anxiety. Laurie's books sound great, too. Some books would at least be worth checking out of the library, just to see if it helps.

The almost passing-out feelings I had improved immediately once I got on CPAP, and they were 99% gone after a month. I rarely get them now, only if I'm sick with a virus or something like that. There is a more general dizziness/wooziness that I had before CPAP which I still get if I don't sleep enough, and I suspect I'll have it for a long time, maybe forever. The longer I use the CPAP, the better I can handle days where I don't sleep enough.

Everyone will tell you it takes time, but you don't realize how true that is until you live it yourself. The biPAP will pay off in the end, just remember that.