Hello,
 I was wondering if anyone had any memory issues prior to being treated for Sleep Apnea, and if so, how the treatment made a difference. I read an article http://www.today.ucla.edu/portal/ut/080611_apnea.aspx  linking memory issues and concentration to Sleep Apnea and I was hopping if I could get any insight on recovering SA patients.

Ralph

micz wrote:

Hello,
 I was wondering if anyone had any memory issues prior to being treated for Sleep Apnea, and if so, how the treatment made a difference. I read an article http://www.today.ucla.edu/portal/ut/080611_apnea.aspx  linking memory issues and concentration to Sleep Apnea and I was hopping if I could get any insight on recovering SA patients.

Ralph

Short term memory impairment is often a symptom of untreated apnoea. Main reason is that during an apnoea event, when the brain becomes starved of oxygen, it goes into defence mode and protects the brain stem. To do this, various areas of the brain, that are deemed to be not essential for survival, are closed down and deprived of oxygen (while any oxygen is diverted to the brain stem).........first of these areas are located in the right front cortex and comprise short term memory and cognitive function.

In my own case I suffered badly in these areas.........after treatment these areas did show very good improvement, but IMHO I doubt they will ever be as good as 'pre OSA days'. I believe that the longer OSA remains untreated the greater the damage to short term memory and cognitive function........early diagnosis and treatment should minimise any long term effects.


Daniel.


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The untreated Sleep Apnoea sufferer died quietly in his sleep.......
Unlike his three passengers who died screaming !!!!!!

(Anon)

Thanks Daniel,

Thats good to hear. I'm 22 years old and I have suspected that OSA may be contributing to theses symptoms as well as others. I'm scheduled for a sleep study in the next 2 weeks, and hoping to see corroborative results.

Ralph

Daniel wrote:

micz wrote:

Hello,
 I was wondering if anyone had any memory issues prior to being treated for Sleep Apnea, and if so, how the treatment made a difference. I read an article http://www.today.ucla.edu/portal/ut/080611_apnea.aspx  linking memory issues and concentration to Sleep Apnea and I was hopping if I could get any insight on recovering SA patients.

Ralph

Short term memory impairment is often a symptom of untreated apnoea. Main reason is that during an apnoea event, when the brain becomes starved of oxygen, it goes into defence mode and protects the brain stem. To do this, various areas of the brain, that are deemed to be not essential for survival, are closed down and deprived of oxygen (while any oxygen is diverted to the brain stem).........first of these areas are located in the right front cortex and comprise short term memory and cognitive function.

In my own case I suffered badly in these areas.........after treatment these areas did show very good improvement, but IMHO I doubt they will ever be as good as 'pre OSA days'. I believe that the longer OSA remains untreated the greater the damage to short term memory and cognitive function........early diagnosis and treatment should minimise any long term effects.


Daniel.

Me too. Better but not perfect. But definitely better!

Sadly I have lost some cognitive function due to having had untreated, undiagnosed OSA for MANY years.  Right now my doc is working to get me as functional as possible but after two years of treatment he feels that this might be as good as it gets for me. BUT it is still WAY better than before xpap.


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~ElleMarie~ One day at a time......are you kidding me?.....sometimes it's just one minute at a time.

Jun 2007 AHI 100.7 started cpap at 9** Oct 2007-11** April 2009 Bipap-15/10
Respironics auto M w/ Swift LT for her OR Opus 360 nasal pillows

Ralph asks...I was wondering if anyone had any memory issues prior to being treated for Sleep Apnea, and if so, how the treatment made a difference.

And I have success to report, beginning early in my nearly 4 years of xPAP therapy.
xPAP therapy really brought my memory around.

The initial xPAP therapy helped noticeably, right from the beginning, when I only had straight cpap.  

After about a year and a half, I changed to autopap (with full data reporting capability) and optimized my therapeutic setup to put the lower range of the autopap pressure at my titrated value, and the upper range about 2.5 cm above that, all to yield an average AHI of about 0.6 .  (I did some other things, like eliminating leaks and experimenting with humidification levels as well).  I can't quantify it, but I'm certain that I have an even more powerful memory as well as improved general cognitive facility since I optimized my therapy.

Besides a good short and long term recall, I can multitask with greater ease, I speak more clearly and quickly, and with better elocution, and my vocabulary is stronger.  I think with greater depth, and I read faster and retain more.

Life's good!

The UCLA article that Ralph links is an interesting one; and I especially agree about the inflammation component of OSA causing damage.  The article discusses vitamin B1, but I would also consider fish oil supplementation, as it tends to lessen inflammation.  (I'm not a physician, so this is not a recommendation.  Read available info first, and make informed decisions, talk w doc.)

Regards all - - Woof.


.


_________________
“Never give in, never give in, never; never; never; never - in nothing, great or small, large or petty - never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense” - - Sir Winston Churchill

I've experienced very noticeable deterioration in memory and general clarity of mind for a while now. My job requires a lot of abstract and conceptual thought and that has been much harder than in the past. I had a very good memory at one time but that is no longer the case. I am hoping that if I can stick to the CPAP routine that it might help me recover some of what I've lost. Thanks for the link, that was interesting.

That was actually part of what led me to check into OSA.  Back when I was in high school I was one of those obnoxious students that never had to study.  I would just read the book, take the notes and be done with it.  Over the last 18 years I've noticed my memory and focus get worse and worse.  Ooooh, look, something shiny!  Wait, what was I looking at?  hehe.  When I spoke to my doctor and told him what had been going on he set me up with a sleep specialist.  I can tell you that just from the titration study, I had 2 greatly improved days.  I also saw some improvement just from sleeping on my side before I got my machine.

I've only had my machine for 2 days now, but both the sleep specialist and my physician have assured me that as I get used to the machine those issues will get better and better.  May not be as good as they used to, but a hell of a lot better than they were several weeks ago.

Hope it helps.

Sure will be nice to stop losing tools and denting and dinging my work truck.  


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Resmed S8 AutosetII w/ H4i humidifier & ResMed Mirage Micro nasal mask

Yes. Definite memory problems that are affecting my job. I've had serious lapses in memory, along with false memories. I thought I remembered saying or doing things that I never did. Doc put me on Nuvigil, and that has been a big help.

Yeah I too have experienced problems with my concentration, recall and general memory due to SA.  Along with a host of problems due to my SA, I could barely remember my name! Balacing my budget was a lost cause.  I could not understand why I never seemed to have enough to make ends meet.  It never dawned on me I just wasn't thinking clearly enough to function well and due simple math!!!  I realized the connection only AFTER I started therapy and my head started to clear.  Things seem sooo much easier now.  I LOVE MY CPAP!!!  I have also began losing weight and inches!!  The dark circles under my eyes have gone away and my skin has it's glow again.
We need oxygen to survive and I was slowly suffocating in my sleep!! That machine is my new best friend!!!

That's great! It's always good to hear about successes. Getting used to being a hose-head can be as much of an ordeal as the SA itself, so any success story is welcome. Keep that O2 flowing.

I definitely have gotten my concentration back since I started the CPAP. My job also requires good concentration, analysis, and recall. I didn't know how I was going to continue working if I didn't improve.

I had poor concentration at all times, but I believe I was also experiencing microsleeps. I would be following a train of thought,  figuring out what to do about one of my trouble-shooting tasks at work, and then I'd kind of drift away and then come back to myself and not be able to even remember what I had been working on.

The microsleeps went away very quickly after I started the CPAP. When I was able to keep the mask on for at least 6-7 hours a night, the concentration improved. I still have a little ways to go to get back to what I was like before, but I'm optimistic.


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Diagnosed September 2009
cpap machine: resmed compact S8
pressure: 9
sleep study results: AHI 4.2 (nl=<5); REM AHI 9.4 (nl=<5); REM 15.7% (nl=25-35%)

respironics comfort fusion nasal - leaks drove me crazy
LT Swift nasal pillows - works great

Hey, I just read that article, after I wrote that I'm optimistic that I'll get back to what I was like before, and it made me less optimistic.

.But what really caught my attention is that somebody slipped Kumar into the article. The only researcher mentioned is Ronald Harper, but look at the last two paragraphs:

"'The reduced size of the mammillary bodies suggests that they've suffered a harmful event resulting in sizable cell loss,' Harper said. 'The fact that patients' memory problems continue despite treatment for their sleep disorder implies a long-lasting brain injury.'

"In a future study, Harper and Kumar will explore whether taking supplemental vitamin B1 helps restore sleep apnea patients' memory. The vitamin helps move glucose into the cells, preventing their death from oxygen starvation."

                                   


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Diagnosed September 2009
cpap machine: resmed compact S8
pressure: 9
sleep study results: AHI 4.2 (nl=<5); REM AHI 9.4 (nl=<5); REM 15.7% (nl=25-35%)

respironics comfort fusion nasal - leaks drove me crazy
LT Swift nasal pillows - works great

Its a nice way of saying psychotic.  My life is and always has been surreal.  When experiencing an andrenaline high - It seems dreamlike and the dreamlike sequence ends abruptly when the rush of adrenaline runs out and it seems like what had just happened did not really happen.

I have major concentration issues, have only read one book my entire life.  I have no idea how I barely hold onto a job.

Just a thought.   Memory is definitely an issue with people with SA.  Also keep in mind that even adults have attention deficit and more likely it goes untreated.  I have found out that "back in the day"  a child who was not diagnosed would usually turn into an adult who would find coping mechanisms to adapt.  Or would learn to focus on the "important" things that have to be remembered. Paying the house payment, taxes, work.  The problem doesn't come into play taking care of the important issues.   Where AD is apparent is in the everyday little things that tend to get over looked.  Or a small detail at work, that does turn into a big detail later.  Example.  Losing keys, forgetting where the car is parked, what that address was I looked up 15 minutes ago.  

Back to the point, as adults getting older, we gradually lose mental function and then as the child was, the problem once again becomes more apparent.  This was told to me by a m.d. who works in that area.  If you question that may be a part of the problem, a person can be checked for it by a battery of questions you are asked to answer.    I was, since I was making silly mistakes.   SA just compounded the problem.  Treatment certainly does help !!


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REMstarplus, M Series with C-flex and heated humidification
C- Pap setting of 10
ResMed Mirage Quatro full face Mask
Sleep study showed 36 events per hour
Location, Nebraska