Why do i still experience brain fog and blank mind symptoms while using Cpap?

I’ve been on Cpap for more than a year. And I am on Ritalin recently. I still experience symptoms of brain fog and blank mindedness all day long. It is affecting my work performance. I don’t know what to do. I started to become forgetful and can’t retain information. Can anyone kindly let me know what is going on and what should I do ? If you have similar experience please share, so that I know I am not the only one

zming wrote: ↑

Sun Sep 18, 2022 9:20 am

Can anyone kindly let me know what is going on and what should I do ?

First thing to do is figure out if your sleep apnea therapy is optimal or not?
Second thing to do is some detective work to figure out if your unwanted symptoms are related to sleep apnea/airway issues or not.
There's a good chance that other issues besides apnea could be causing unwanted symptoms.
Not everything can be fixed with cpap.
Third thing....accept the fact that sometimes it just takes time to see improvements.

Pugsy wrote: ↑

Sun Sep 18, 2022 9:35 am

zming wrote: ↑

Sun Sep 18, 2022 9:20 am

Can anyone kindly let me know what is going on and what should I do ?

First thing to do is figure out if your sleep apnea therapy is optimal or not?
Second thing to do is some detective work to figure out if your unwanted symptoms are related to sleep apnea/airway issues or not.
There's a good chance that other issues besides apnea could be causing unwanted symptoms.
Not everything can be fixed with cpap.
Third thing....accept the fact that sometimes it just takes time to see improvements.

Try to post your charts and equipment here and you might just get some good help. I know I did. Every night isn't a great sleep but finally the majority of them are.

Also when I hear "therapy under control" people are using 5AHI or less as proof that it is working. I feel HORRENDOUS with 5 and even 2 often leaves me feeling like I have an all day headache.

If you don't have an SD card in your machine, get one so you can start tracking things better and post the info here.

HTH

zming wrote: ↑

Sun Sep 18, 2022 9:20 am

I still experience symptoms of brain fog and blank mindedness all day long. It is affecting my work performance. I don’t know what to do. I started to become forgetful and can’t retain information.
If you have similar experience please share, so that I know I am not the only one

I am dealing with a very similar situation and I will share part of my story.
I went to the doctor out of desperation last May because I was having serious trouble remembering even the simplest details at work. I would do a task and then not remember what I just did, who I just talked to etc. I was really scared that I was losing my mind, I seriously could not remember what I had just done. My desk was littered with sticky notes and minutes later, I would have no idea why I wrote that note. My doctor called it COGNITIVE DEFICIT IN ATTENTION OR CONCENTRATION. I failed the cognitive tests at the office visit miserably. Counting back change, names in a story. You name it, I couldn't remember it. What is weird is that I had no problem functioning. I remember where I live, how to get to the doctors office, where I was going etc. It seems to be only work focus related... Maybe? I don't know, I don't remember
Long story short, They wanted to do a sleep test and blood work. Turns out I have severe sleep apnea and I was on the extreme end of anemia.

My doc told me in 3 to 6 months I would be as good as new. I started CPAP on June 21 and three months in I am still fighting the fog. It is slowly getting better but I still have major memory and brain fog problem days. They are not as severe as they were back in May and the really bad days are getting fewer.

You are not alone in this. All of us react differently to therapy. Some quick, some slow.
There are so many good people here that are so willing to share and help. Be patient and listen to the advice. Things will get better.

Zming, Brad S's post is a good reminder about the value of discussing your symptoms with your doctor. Is that something you've done yet?

I have an appointment with the sleep therapist this Friday

zming wrote: ↑

Tue Sep 20, 2022 2:08 pm

I have an appointment with the sleep therapist this Friday

Good! Be sure to describe your experiences to the doctor very concretely, as you did in your post. You might add examples of the kinds of things you forget and specific ways your condition is affecting your work. Do you feel sleepy during the day? Whether yes or no, be sure to include that information too.

The sleep doctor should certainly be able to help you optimize your CPAP therapy, but please raise the question whether your problems might be due to something other than sleep apnea or poor sleep. Ideally the doctor will order some tests for other conditions, e.g., thyroid problems, autoimmune disease, low testosterone if you're a man, or anemia.

You might also ask about a referral to a neurologist, who could do some basic tests of cognitive function.

If the sleep doctor doesn't want to venture beyond your CPAP therapy, and if he or she doesn't see any way to optimize your therapy, then please make an appointment with your primary care physician to follow up on other possible causes for your condition.

All that said, I do hope you can post some Oscar charts here. The people here can be very helpful with tweaking settings for the best possible CPAP treatment.

zming wrote: ↑

Tue Sep 20, 2022 2:08 pm

I have an appointment with the sleep therapist this Friday

How was your appointment last Friday?