Is brain damage due to sleep apnea reversible?

General Discussion on any topic relating to CPAP and/or Sleep Apnea.
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ozij
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Re: Is brain damage due to sleep apnea reversible?

Post by ozij » Mon May 23, 2022 9:02 am

Speaking of anti anxiety medication, NotNotLaosho wrote:
NotNotLaosho wrote:
Mon May 23, 2022 6:24 am
I made a promise to myself when I was able to get off these drugs, that I would never take them again.
NotNotLaosho wrote:
Sun May 22, 2022 12:53 pm
I don't care about anxiety as long as my cognitive abilities are back to where they were two years ago. I saw a pulmonologist last Monday and my sleep study is scheduled for mid-June.
Do you realize what having sleep apnea means?
Untreated sleep apnea means that every night, numerous times every hour, your brain realizes it does not have enough oxygen for it to function properly, and sounds all the physical alarms it can in order to arouse you from your sleep, and get you breathing properly.
Every night, many times an hour, your brain -- the conscious and unconscious parts of it are responding with alarm to real suffocation.
That very objective state of being almost suffocated is alarming -- and is a clear cause of (and for) anxiety.
You haven't been diagnosed yet, but, if you spend your nights in a struggle to get enough oxygen, then you are clearly, and justifiably convinced that life is frightening, and words won't help to alleviate that, since you body knows better.

Once there's not enough oxygen, your wise brain, whose role is to make sure all of you is properly taken care of, is warning you very clearly that there are dire dangers around.
You won't be the first one whose anxiety calms down once you sleep properly, without the physical danger.

If you have sleep apnea, it's no wonder you don't trust what your doctor is saying, nor the papers you read. If you're living with numerous suffocation episodes every night, your brain is informing you, loud and clear that relaxing your guard brings about danger. The objective danger, at this point is lack of oxygen, and following on that, fragmented sleep.

Fragmented sleep also effects your cognitive functioning. Anyone's cognitive functioning
NotNotLaosho wrote:
Sun May 22, 2022 12:53 pm
I don't care about anxiety as long as my cognitive abilities are back to where they were two years ago.
You may be putting the cart before the horses here.... Anxiety is there to tell you something is wrong, and something must be done.
And the change will have to be something you experience - uninterrupted sleep, where all of you has the amount of oxygen it need.

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Janknitz
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Re: Is brain damage due to sleep apnea reversible?

Post by Janknitz » Mon May 23, 2022 4:18 pm

lazarus wrote:
Mon May 23, 2022 6:41 am
Janknitz wrote:
Sun May 22, 2022 4:57 pm
perceived cognitive abilities, as though that is the only measure
Elwood P. Dowd agrees and suggests "pleasant" as a competing and more significant measure:

https://youtu.be/UUOxEwCuEgQ
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Janknitz
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Re: Is brain damage due to sleep apnea reversible?

Post by Janknitz » Mon May 23, 2022 8:15 pm

I'm barely twenty-six.
That's something very much in your favor--neuralplasticity, which is the "capacity of the nervous system to modify itself, functionally and structurally, in response to experience and injury". Your chances of recovering cognitive function as a 26 year old are much higher at age 26 than 66.
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kteague
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Re: Is brain damage due to sleep apnea reversible?

Post by kteague » Fri May 27, 2022 9:57 pm

I'll just add my anecdotal evidence that you have reason to be hopeful about achieving improved cognitive function as healthy sleep provides your brain opportunity to heal. Fifteen years ago I had to stop cooking and driving for safety concerns, and went out on disability because my brain was not able to perform my job duties. I was pleasantly surprised at the difference decent sleep made over time. Hopefully you can lean into your efforts to turn things around, and allow the process to do its work. Please do come back to this thread in a few weeks/months and let us know how things are going. Wishing you the best.

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