Brain Fog - I thought I was getting Alzheimer's at 30

[mdkohm]

Hello all - just joined and this is my first post.

I wanted to find out if others have had similar Brain Fog problems as mine. Just started treatment and I have slept the last 3 nights with my machine, so I suspect it will be some time before the fog is lifted.

Here are some of my biggest problems that are (I hope) related (and reversible) to OSA.

1.) I have severe problems remembering names (even people I know well).

2.) Problems with vocabulary - I often can't think of the right word or name for something I am talking about. And I sometimes have trouble pronouncing multiple syllable words that never gave me problems before. I feel like halfway through the word my brain shuts down.

3.) Often don't rememeber details of conversations or tasks that I have participated in just 1 or 2 days ago.

4.) I notice that my driving is not what it used to be. I sometimes park crooked in the parking spot, don't have the best judgement of where the front of the car starts (look out parking curbs), and overall just feel like I am not as aware/acurate/confident as I was 5 or 6 years ago.

By the way - I am 33. I have had symptoms of OSA since I was a kid (always snored so loud everyone in the house knew when I was asleep) and more sever symptoms started when I was about 22.

[tulajane]

Well, I've been on cpap for a month now and I haven't really noticed that my brain fog has lifted much, but I do feel better. Actually, I'm more alert than I was before and my concentration is better. I still have brain freeze where my mind goes blank, but maybe that's age -- I'm not 33 anymore!

I think I still need some adjustment to my therapy and I'm considering purchasing the EncorePro software to keep track of my sleeping. We'll see how things go.

Good luck with your therapy!

tulajane

[Wulfman]

mdkohm,

Welcome to the forum. There's a wealth of information here. Do lots of reading. Your symptoms are not untypical of the effects of OSA.
Hang in there. It WILL get better. The amount of time it takes varies according to the individual and many factors.

Best wishes,

Den

[CrystalP]

I have been experiencing a type of "brain fog" for years and while my problems are not exactly like the ones you describe, I also hope that my recently diagnosed OSA is finally the cause I have been chasing all these years. I have been using my CPAP about 2 months now, with no great changes to the way I feel. Some seem to have actually gotten worse even though I seem to be sleeping better. I am woozy, a weird kind of dizzy, to varying degrees. My balance is unsteady, sometimes severely, to the point that I am afraid to drive or feel that I must pull over and get off the road. Just walking is sometimes difficult. Doctors are worthless. I have explained these symptoms to so many, I have lost count. OSA and CPAP Therapy is the most recent diagnosis and while I remain hopefully that I have found a cure, I am also cautious about getting my hopes up again. I certainly understand your fright and frustration. Everybody keeps telling me it will get better. I certainly hope so! For both of us.

[Feelinfab]

Hi,

Hang in there. As someone else said, it's different for everyone.

If you had fairly severe OSA, you may be having an extreme reaction (or "update"???) to getting the therapy and sleep you need.

I did. Actually, it was way better than I imagine drugs could ever be. For about a week my body just sort of dragged me around everywhere and made me do things. For instance, on the first Sat morning after getting CPAP, I bet I did more around the house than I'd done in 5 years of weekends!

But it calms down. I had a very severe case of OSA. I was in the "superwoman" stage for about a week, and then it just suddenly dropped off to normal. My dr told me that was often the case with people; you experience a strong reaction and then it levels off to something more consistent.

I did have a friend tell me -- a totally unscientific explanation as far as I know, but she is very bright -- that when you first get on CPAP, all the oxygen goes to your starved body parts (muscles, organs, etc.) and rob it from your brain; as a result your brain and your body get out of sync for awhile. I found myself dropping things and doing all sorts of highly uncoordinated things during the first week. (Also, extremely strong emotional reactions)

I was never one with a good memory, but I do think in some ways I'm having more memory problems since being on CPAP than before (the opposite of what they tell you). But in most others ways I'm incredibly more alert.

So, have some patience and give it time. Yours will taper off, just give it time. You'll love it. If it doesn't calm down, call your dr and insist on help. That's their job, but you may have to push them. Hopefully you have a supportive MD and sleep center who will help you through this.

[CrystalP]

Thanks, Feelinfab, for the encouragement! I appreciate the support.

[Guest]

You got me wondering if there is any link between OSA and Alzheimers disease.

Stanford Report, June 13, 2001

Stanford researchers identify gene associated with sleep apnea
BY KRISTA CONGER

Individuals with a particular genetic marker are twice as likely to suffer from sleep apnea -- a dangerous nighttime breathing disorder -- as people without the gene, say Stanford Medical Center researchers. The gene also predisposes carriers to the development of Alzheimer's and cardiovascular diseases.

The finding marks the first time that a specific gene has been linked to sleep disordered breathing, which may affect up to 10 percent of the population. The researchers say it also suggests that complex interactions exist between breathing patterns during sleep, cholesterol metabolism and mental status.

"What's interesting is that this gene is a marker for dementia and cardiovascular risk," said Emmanuel Mignot, MD, PhD, director of the Center for Narcolepsy at Stanford's Center for Human Sleep Research. "On top of that it also predisposes a carrier to the development of sleep apnea. Since sleep apnea is also linked to cardiovascular disease, there is a snowball effect. This is a marker you really don't want to have."

Mignot, associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, is the senior author of the research, which is published in today's issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Individuals with sleep apnea repeatedly stop breathing during sleep and must partially wake each time to gasp or snort for air. This sleep/wake cycle can be repeated hundreds of times each night, leading to severe sleep deprivation and daytime drowsiness. Sleep apnea sufferers frequently develop high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease, and they are more likely to die from heart attacks than people without apnea. The disease can cluster in families and studies have shown that Alzheimer's patients are more likely to suffer from sleep apnea than members of the general population.

The Stanford researchers studied a gene called apolipoprotein E, or ApoE, which plays an important role in cholesterol metabolism. Like many genes, its DNA sequence can vary slightly between individuals. ApoE exists in three major varieties: E2, E3 and E4. Previous studies have shown that ApoE4 predisposes carriers to cardiovascular disease and Alzheimer's disease, while ApoE2 seems to offer some protection against developing Alzheimer's. Each person carries two copies of the gene, one inherited from each parent.

Mignot's team analyzed blood samples to determine the prevalence of each version of ApoE in a random pool of 791 middle-aged adults who were part of an ongoing study of sleep disorders. Each of the subjects participated in at least one overnight sleep study to allow researchers to chart the length and frequency of each sleep stage. Researchers also monitored the subjects for signs of sleep apnea, and ranked sleep apnea sufferers based on the severity of their symptoms.

The scientists found that 28 percent of the study subjects carried at least one copy of ApoE4. They also discovered that nearly 12 percent of these ApoE4 carriers also suffered from moderate to severe sleep apnea, compared to only about 7 percent of the non-E4 carriers -- a statistically significant difference. Individuals with two copies of E4 suffered from more severe sleep apnea than did people with only one copy of E4. The association between the presence of ApoE4 and sleep apnea held true even when researchers corrected for other apnea risk factors, including age, gender, body mass and ethnic heritage.

"ApoE4 could account for a significant portion of sleep apnea," said Mignot. He estimates that 50 percent of sleep apnea could be due to genetic factors, and 8 percent may be directly related to the inheritance of at least one copy of ApoE4.

Mignot and the other Stanford researchers believe the association between ApoE4, sleep apnea, cardiovascular disease and Alzheimer's disease is probably not coincidental. Many Alzheimer's patients also experience severe sleep problems, and sleep apnea can be induced by brain injury such as head trauma.

"Sleep apnea may actually be the symptom of a very early form of brain injury," Mignot said. "The plaques in the brain associated with Alzheimer's disease may affect how a person breathes during sleep."

He emphasized, however, that such conclusions are still speculative and need further investigation.

http://news-service.stanford.edu/news/2 ... apnea.html

[CrystalP]

Well, that figures......

[Wulfman]

You got me wondering if there is any link between OSA and Alzheimers disease.

"Sleep apnea may actually be the symptom of a very early form of brain injury," Mignot said. "The plaques in the brain associated with Alzheimer's disease may affect how a person breathes during sleep."

Guest,

You mention OSA in the statement concerning what you were wondering about. However, the article only says "sleep apnea" throughout. If this occurs through a "brain injury", that would imply "central sleep apneas". Obstructive Sleep Apnea occurs from the physical closing of the airway. It's "apples and oranges" to me.

Den

[Guest]

Wulfman said:

You mention OSA in the statement concerning what you were wondering about. However, the article only says "sleep apnea" throughout. If this occurs through a "brain injury", that would imply "central sleep apneas". Obstructive Sleep Apnea occurs from the physical closing of the airway. It's "apples and oranges" to me.

Agreed, but I wonder if they've studied the possibility that untreated obstructive sleep apnea can lead to neurological diseses?

[mdkohm]

Wow, great research. I always thought that the "fog" I felt must be similar to what the onset of Alzheimer's might be like. I was hoping that is where the similarities ended.

Now I wonder if there is more to this.

[Wulfman]

Wulfman said:

You mention OSA in the statement concerning what you were wondering about. However, the article only says "sleep apnea" throughout. If this occurs through a "brain injury", that would imply "central sleep apneas". Obstructive Sleep Apnea occurs from the physical closing of the airway. It's "apples and oranges" to me.

Agreed, but I wonder if they've studied the possibility that untreated obstructive sleep apnea can lead to neurological diseses?

I wouldn't be a bit surprised if THAT link could be made. Since (untreated) OSA deprives the brain of oxygen, it could have far-reaching effects into our brain functions and other areas of our systems.....after all, our brains pretty much "run the show".

Thanks for the article you posted.
If you discover any more on this subject, please post your findings.

Best wishes,

Den

[Tash]

Hang in there, it will get better. I just reread one of my first posts, and it brought back the memories of morning fog (which lasted all day most days...) Every body is different, but my fog lifted slowly over the course of months. Some days are still better than others, but overall, it's a vast improvement.

Stick with CPAP.and this forum - it will get you through

Take care,
Tash

[roster]

mdkohm said:

1.) I have severe problems remembering names (even people I know well).

2.) Problems with vocabulary - I often can't think of the right word or name for something I am talking about. And I sometimes have trouble pronouncing multiple syllable words that never gave me problems before. I feel like halfway through the word my brain shuts down.

3.) Often don't rememeber details of conversations or tasks that I have participated in just 1 or 2 days ago.

4.) I notice that my driving is not what it used to be. I sometimes park crooked in the parking spot, don't have the best judgement of where the front of the car starts (look out parking curbs), and overall just feel like I am not as aware/acurate/confident as I was 5 or 6 years ago.

Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. I have all the same problems plus some that are even worse. I just started my fifth month on cpap and only now am I starting to see improvement in these symptoms. Just talked to a friend last night who has been a cpap patient for 2.5 years and he says he is still seeing gradual improvement in things like memory.

There is good hope for us but we have to be faithful to the nightly process. I have had setbacks in therapy but by staying with it, I am starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel. I was undiagnosed for years and it will take some time to repair much of the damage.

Good luck and be persistent.

[Guest]

Bad news. It looks like the Alzheimer's/Sleep Apnea researchers do mean OSA and not central sleep apnea.
http://www.neurology.org/cgi/content/abstract/63/4/664