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memory loss- recovery with cpap use?
Can some one tell me about wether they have experienced memery decline due to sleep apnea?
Have noticed improvement after starting cpap/apap therapy?
How long did it take to notice improvement?
Views: 4253
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by KAREN JAFFE on
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Hi Mike, I had terrible memory loss. It became worse and worse over about 1 1/2 years. What made me seek treatment was my husband and I both thought I had early onset Alzheimers Disease. It got to where I couldn't remember my childern's birthdates. After using CPAP for a couple of months, my memory started improving. I also take the medication Nuvigil once a day. It is similar to Provigil but is longer lasting. Many CPAP users do well without medication but I was not one of them. I don't think I will ever have the memory I used to have but I am close.
Good Luck to you!
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I have been on C-pap for 15 years and I also have had memory lapses or as I call it "brain fog". I am curious as to which type of mask you are using to get good results with having your depression and confusion symptoms resolved. Any info would be appreciated as the 2 newest masks I purchased seem to "not quite fit the bill" for me. Thanks.
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Permalink Reply by James Kenneth Narze on
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I too have experienced memory loss due to sleep apnea, but mine seems to be focused more on my short-term memory rather than my long-term. I can remember things that happened years ago like they happened yesterday , but sometimes can't remember what was told to me 5 min. ago, or a list of a few things to pick up at the grocery store. I've also found that I have a bit of claustrophobia when it come to the mask for the CPAP. I'm fine in crowded situations such as elevators, but anything over my face, I get nervous, almost terrified. Have some of you had this problem and how did you overcome it? What masks finally worked for you? And that cold air rushing into my nose more often then not, I catch a cold and have more breathing problems. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thank You
James
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Permalink Reply by bonesigh on
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I hate to say it but my memory has not improved at all. Been on Bipap for almost 3 years now. 100% compliant. Have a new machine that I have logged in around 900 hours now with AHI below 2, leak rate usually zero. Doctors say that I probably suffer from depression and have put me on meds. First medicine caused headaches. Just started a different one on Wednesday and have had a sick stomach since. Somehow, I just don't think it is depression. I still think there is something wrong with my sleeping but I don't know what to do to convince them to test me further. What tests should I have? I really don't know what to do. Guess I proved my point to the psychiatrist about my memory...I showed up a day early for my appointment. Sigh.
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Yes, I have had terrible brain fade! At least that's what I called it. I run a call center, and although my work didn't seem to be suffering, I was struggling to maintain harder every day. I was so tired, beyond tired. I pumped coffee and soda trying to stay awake and alert. I began to forget all the little things around the edges, birthdays, names of minor associates, what to pick up at the store. Then it seemed to be working it's way in, conversations, things I had committed to do. I think my apnea was a slowly increasing monster over a 10 year or more period. So I know the memory loss will not just go away in a month or two, but having a good night's sleep every night, certainly does bring about a new perspective.
What I want to mention, that I haven't seen here, is that while I have been treated for depression, my doctor also did a complete blood chemistry panel on me as well. I was found to be extremely low in the B vitamins and Vitamin D was nearly non-existent (only 7 when it should have been 50 or better). My doctor started me on 50,000 units of D every day for 2 weeks and Cerefolin (B Complex in 7,000 Units) daily. After two weeks on the vitamins and a month on Abilify, and almost 3 months on the CPAP, I am finally starting to get the bits an pieces of my life back.
Moral of the story, your body has been involved in a war to survive! Anything and everything should be looked at and evaluated to be sure you are getting treated for all off the damage that has occured. This could involve a Cardiologist, Pulminologist, Psychiatrist, and more. Don't take anything for granted, not to scare you, but to be sure. And keep working with your medical supplier if your mask doesn't work. If you can't get the benefits from the CPAP at night to sleep, nothing else will be enough to help. Sleep and breathing comes first, everything else comes second!!!!
Good Luck!!!!
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Permalink Reply by Mary Z on
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The more I think about this the more interested I get. I had a bad nervous breakdown in 2005 and had to stop working. Started taking long naps- dead to the world for four or five hours. I was so confused and my memory was so bad I thought I had a stroke. Had neuropyche testing- lots of neurological deficits. Fast forward to 2008 started falling asleep on my feet first thing in the morning. Had a sleep study done and had mild sleep apnea. Started CPAP April 2008. I thought the OSA had just come on me with the daytme sleepiness- I had attributed the naps to depression. I also started on aricept due to some symptoms of early dementia (I'm 57). Who knows if the sleep apnea caused most of my problems? I'm not about to stop taking aricept and see if it's making the difference.
My nervous breakdown came when I changed units from one where my boss understood (though I didn't) that I had limitations and just let me work 32 hour weeks, to a unit totally in chaos. I'm like the canary in the mine. That was a separate event I thought. Now who knows? I do know I feel better being on CPAP.
(it's also interesting that my B-12 and Vit D were very low like the above poster, Sherry)
Mary Z.
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Permalink Reply by Mike on
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all this being said about the effects of OSA on memory/ the brain, i wonder whether some sort of scan of the brain (CT/ MRI?) should be done routinely for folks who have long suffered with severe sleep apnea.
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Hello-
I have been on CPAP for 2 years and should have started 3 years before.
I call that feeling of not being able to do something that was easy for me in the past 'having a brownout' because it was like my brain had lost energy.
I agressively pursued testing when I took helth leave for unknown sleepyness and dumb thinking.
When I got the neuro psych tests done, there was a strange mix of abilities in different areas -
I've always been terrible at 3D and I still was - no surprise there. I was way short on working memory so being interrupted in a task resulted in starting over. But when looking at a changing pattern of shapes, it was easy for me to figure out the rules it followed - and was told that test was very difficult for most people. so My abilities were all over the map.
I had a MRI done too and it was normal, so that kind of scan did not give much information.
Check out TED, for temple grandins talk that includes a comparison between her brain activity and a control person - her visual activity involves much more of the brain. I don't know if this kind of scan would show difference between people whith OSA using cpap and not using cpap and a control group. but it would be iunteresting to find out. Does anyone know of such a study?
I have not returned to my full abilities pre OSA and that is hard to live with. The effect is that I am unsure of what I can do - only trying it will let me know. The effort of learning new software is good for growing new brain cells so I recommend doing something that stretches you in an activity you like.
All of the jobs I had were new; I wrote the job description after I fugured out what it was for some. I really enjoyed jumping into a chaotic situation and bringing order to it. for instance, I did a y2k contingency plan for a large financial firm, with a chain of command, list of if this happens then notify X and do Y. Then it got harder and harder to roll with the unexpected.
I was able to get my technical abilities back, but missed the 'don;t take this job' signals and landed a supervisor who loses a critical staff person once a yeat through bullying. So I work for me now and like it.
Now it is harder to keep track of events. Before OSA, it was as if everything was on little post its right next to me, and afterwards the post its fell into a heap and I am sifting through them to find the one I need. I need to keep a written planner because I remember what I have written better.
After, I was still bad at 3D, had OK working memory.
While I was recovering, I really liked doing the same thing over and over. Now it drives me crazy.
So I am doing the best I can with the new version of me.
Cheers,
Holly
Mike said:all this being said about the effects of OSA on memory/ the brain, i wonder whether some sort of scan of the brain (CT/ MRI?) should be done routinely for folks who have long suffered with severe sleep apnea.
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http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2491498/
check out the pictures of brains!
seems like the anwers are-
1. yes, osa messes up your brain.
2. you get better with cpap.
Cheers,
Holly
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Hi Mary,
The study looked at brain density and how it varied over the 3d brain. What it showed was neurons becoming thinner and losing part of the insulating coating for people with osa. I guess that is like moving from a computer with bradband to one with a really slow dialup connection - it takes longer for information to travel since it has to go slower in a skinny pipe. Also, without a good anti-noise layer around the nerve, the signal might be slow and full of static.
It was odd to have to begin a task again if I was interrupted, however, if the slow noisy signal got stopped and working memory was not up the task of placing a 'bookmark' at the point I stopped, then that makes sense considered with these results.
I use Provigil, which makes me smarter but doesn't have any effect for me on staying awake, even through marines stay up for 2-3 days using it for missions.
So what is going on when people recover memory and smarts?
Holly
Mary Z said:Very interesting, Holly. I've had MRIs done since and before being diagnosed with sleep apnea, but they were always normal. Now they were't read by a sleep doctor, but they were read by neurologists looking for neurogical dysfunction and reasons for early onset dementia. So it seems like white matter problems would have shown up. Just recently had one bone by neurosurgeons who said everything was fine, but again, they weren't looking for traces of sleep apnea damage. Seems as though you would have to be part of a research study, or a sleep doc doing his own research to hve these scans properly evaluated. I attribute most of my cognitive improvement to Aricept rather than CPAP as I have never had my CPAP numbers in a good range for any period of time.
Mary Z.
Holly Glaser said:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2491498/
check out the pictures of brains!
seems like the anwers are-
1. yes, osa messes up your brain.
2. you get better with cpap.
Cheers,
Holly
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Permalink Reply by RockRpsgt on
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http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19630363
A relatively large number of neurodegenerative diseases are associated with sleep disorders. In some diseases it was shown that the sleep disorder occurred long before the diagnosis. Therefore, it is hereby suggested that performing overnight polysomnography should be a routine check for any patient complaining about memory loss, cognitive decline or Parkinsonism. Identifying sleep disorders and trying to treat them could prevent or even improve cognition and/or behavior in some of the neurodegenerative diseases. In addition, it is suggested to perform neurocognitive evaluation for patients suffering from obstructive sleep apnea.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20134351
OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated the effects of excessive sleepiness (ES) on health status, daily functioning, and work productivity. METHODS: From a survey performed in June to July 2006, people with or without ES in two groups (1758 with obstructive sleep apnea, depression, narcolepsy, multiple sclerosis, or shift work; 1977 without these conditions) were assessed on the Work Productivity and the Activity Impairment Scale, Short Form-12, Medical Outcomes study 6-item Cognitive Function Scale, and the Toronto Hospital Alertness Test. RESULTS: ES in both groups was associated with highly significant impairments in health status, daily activities, and work productivity for all measures (P < 0.0001), except for absenteeism (P = 0.0400 for group A, P = 0.8360 for group B). CONCLUSIONS: ES may have an incremental negative impact measurable above that of obstructive sleep apnea, multiple sclerosis, narcolepsy, depression, or shift work.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19434037
BACKGROUND:: Obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAH) is associated with impairment of cognitive functions and disturbances in emotional status. The aim of this study was to objectively evaluate the benefits of prolonged and sustained treatment for OSAH at two sleep centers serving rural community hospitals. METHODS:: Fifty-six patients diagnosed with OSAH syndrome underwent Cognistat, Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Millon Behavioral Medicine Diagnostic Inventory (MBMD) testing before initiation of treatment. Repeated testing after six months of therapy with positive airway pressure (PAP) was performed. RESULTS:: Significant improvements were noted in the BDI scale scores and a reduction in the MBMD scores reflected initial abnormal clinical personal symptoms that improved with treatment. MBMD analysis showed subjects with fewer symptoms of anxiety post baseline, which were sustained at 6 months post-treatment. Memory function improved as reflected by performance on the Cognistat. Women were observed to have a higher post-treatment BDI and younger patients appeared to have more shifts for improvement than older subjects in depressive symptomatology. CONCLUSIONS:: These results indicate that prolonged and sustained PAP therapy is effective in restoring some of the deficiencies in patients with OSAH, particularly in terms of memory, depression, anxiety and increased psychological pathology.
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