Re: scared
Yeah, I had all of those feelings due to my brain fog. It made me feel like I was walking around like a zombie and just not all there. It can really make you feel like you're about to lose your mind! I just wish my family doctor had suspected it when I described my cloudy feelings.

I strongly suspect you have sleep apnea if you have some of the other associated conditions: snoring, being overweight, over 40.  You need to see a doctor asap. Until then, force yourself to sleep on your side.  Try this and let us know if it helps any. That helped me while I was waiting on my CPAP. I slept on my side and elevated my head on two queen size pillows.

See i;m only 27 and im not overweight.....i thought i slept fine.....i think i do snore however......but i never really thought i had trouble sleeping....i knowif i have alot on my mind that it takes along time to fall asleep.....are there any medications to make the cloudiness go away..i just want a clear head again....im finding that i dont want to do anything cause i feel all weird by this............

I meant to add what u (Jeffs) wrote in my last reply but it got messed up and i didnt write my username so i replied as guest......



I said that i was only 27, not overweight at all....about 5'3 or 5'4 110llbs........but never thought i had trouble sleeping.
i will however try and get into the doctor asap
are there any medication to get rid of this.....

I just want to have a clear again.........

Well, you're not the typical person who suffers from sleep apnea, if you have it at all. I'm not aware of any medications that help because Obstructive Sleep Apnea is a physical condition that's a result of excess tissue blocking the airway. Of course, there are medications that help you fall asleep though. There is another type of sleep apnea that's less common though. All I can suggest is try sleeping on your side and see if it makes any difference.  

Funny but my sleep docs sure knew what I meant when I said I had brain fog. I have bee treated for apnea for about five years, but I never felt rested. No matter how long I slept it never felt like enough. I just figured it was my depression, but it gradually got worse so I had another sleep study. Increasing the pressure didn't help. I also started taking ADD meds which helped some. But when I was under additional stress like a new job I would get more forgetful. I had problems  getting paperwork done accurately  and left that job only to have the same problem at the next and was asked to leave. No matter how hard I tried I kept messing up. After the third sleep study and another pressure change I went back to the sleep docs out of desperation. They noticed when they looked over my eeg printout that I have alpha wave intrusion. They started me on xyrem and I feel like a different person. My depression is vastly improved and may be able to go off antidepressants eventually. Have been on them for ten years. Have stopped the ADD meds. While I still use my cpap the xyrem is what's making the difference. So I strongly suggest that everyone check his/her sleep study results for alpha wave irregularities. When I got out the results from my first study the alpha wave intrusion was noted, but never addressed.  Best news is that I am doing well at new job doing what I wasn't able to do at my other positions.

JeffS wrote:

I kept using the term "cloudy"  to describe it, so once I saw the term "foggy," I knew right away what someone was describing. I also kept comparing myself to a zombie. Though I was able to get about physically, I was rather lifeless inside and my mind and body weren't in sync. with each other. It's rather difficult to make someone else understand what this feeling is like unless they have experienced something similar. It often felt eerie doing normal things, like walking down the street, sitting in a restaurant, and even walking along the beach.  I sometimes felt like an outsider/alien. So it really was a major task going on long trip when I had this feeling and trying to get through it sanely. I just couldn't function too well and I think perhaps it was rather similar to having mental problems, at least temporarily.  At any rate, the experience has made me more empathetic towards others with health issues.

Wow Jeff!  This is EAXCTLY how I feel but haven't been able to articulate it like you.  I'd rather feel tired any day to feeling like this.   How long did it take for this feeling to go away once you started on the therapy??   Anyone else that has experienced this feeling... how long did it take for your symptoms to start going away?

snoozeandlose1 wrote:

Funny but my sleep docs sure knew what I meant when I said I had brain fog. I have bee treated for apnea for about five years, but I never felt rested. No matter how long I slept it never felt like enough. I just figured it was my depression, but it gradually got worse so I had another sleep study. Increasing the pressure didn't help. I also started taking ADD meds which helped some. But when I was under additional stress like a new job I would get more forgetful. I had problems  getting paperwork done accurately  and left that job only to have the same problem at the next and was asked to leave. No matter how hard I tried I kept messing up. After the third sleep study and another pressure change I went back to the sleep docs out of desperation. They noticed when they looked over my eeg printout that I have alpha wave intrusion. They started me on xyrem and I feel like a different person. My depression is vastly improved and may be able to go off antidepressants eventually. Have been on them for ten years. Have stopped the ADD meds. While I still use my cpap the xyrem is what's making the difference. So I strongly suggest that everyone check his/her sleep study results for alpha wave irregularities. When I got out the results from my first study the alpha wave intrusion was noted, but never addressed.  Best news is that I am doing well at new job doing what I wasn't able to do at my other positions.

Thanks for the info. I'm checking my sleep study asap! I have had nearly identical experiences as you and even if I don't have "alpha wave intrusion" your experience does confirm for me that these 'brain fog' issues are simply not 'normal' and to continue pursuing an answer. The social and professional impacts as well as the impact on quality of life are just too great to ignore and hope it goes away.

Ahhhh!!!!!!!

I discovered the actual term 'brain fog' yesterday though I've felt it for the past couple of years although it has worsened over the past few months. Classic eg: I just had to type 'worsened' into a document to make sure it's a word. I've been doing that a lot lately and english has always been my best subject and I usually just 'know' the correct spelling and grammar but lately, I keep making silly mistakes and having to check it...also, not knowing the right word sometimes, stumbling, as some of you have mentioned. I also have felt the zombie thing for ages now. It started out with me simply drifting off, my head in the clouds, so at first I attributed it to always thinking too much and daydreaming which I do anyway. Lately, I find myself staring off into space, zoning out and not really concentrating on anything. A voice in the back of my mind is screaming at me to finish my assignment or call that friend or whatever it is I should be doing but something always stops me. I've felt like I've been going crazy, especially as I've also noticed my lack of interest in anything other than music, which keeps me sane. I find myself saying things such as 'what's the point?' of doing everyday tasks and being very grumpy and quite impossible to live with although I've always be the smiley, optimistic type. This bookworm hasn't read a novel all the way through in at least a year. I rarely finish newspaper articles and I'm dreading goign to class in ten minutes. GAH!

This thread is such comfort.   [/quote]

Brain fog is one of the scariest symptoms you can have with apnea in my opinion. You feel like you have some major brain disease that is making you loose all your memories and thoughts, etc. You cant remember alot of stuff, cant even remember your symptoms half the time and things like that.

I believe the brainfog can get so bad that you cant even remember gasping for air or even waking up aat night it sucks.

But dont let anxiety about it get to you. The brain fog will seem 500% worse if you worry about it and have anxiety (being scared).
I know from personal experience.

anyone ever tried to think of something and their brain is jsut blank, and you try hard to think or remember, but its just blank.

or try to do math problems, but your head is just blank. Even though you used to be able to do them, etc.

Most of us with the brainfog really hope that its apnea that causes it. I used to be very scared of the brainfog, you can tell by my previous posts over ayear ago.
Now i know that I'm not the only one, and im not loosing my mind, and that almost everyone's fog goes away with treatment, its not so scary.

keep the faith :)
btw, i still get super scared sometimes, especially when the fog seems worse.

Sucks not feeling like you're really there.

Hi, Yes, I certainly have "brain fog," but didn't know what to call it. Can't remember things and this hurts because I used to have a great memory.
Many years ago, sleep study confirmed I had sleep apnea. Couldn't tolerate the mask -- sores, etc. I am a slim woman with high cheek bones and high bridge on nose. These are my pressure points.
    Just had another sleep study and will try again but am frigntened that I won't find a mask that fits. I had appointment with a fitter. The nasel pillows felt ok, but because I have small tubes in ears, the high pressure that I need gives me bad ear aches. I'm trying full face masks but they leak if I don't pull the straps very tight -- which, not only hurts, will, like years ago, give me sores on my face. I just don't know what to do.  Any ideas? Will appreciate "talking" to anyone about sleep apnea at this point. Thanks very much.

Hi, I have never used a forum before. I hope this is how you do it. Yes, brain fog is scary. I can't remember people who I have met and when they say hello, I am embarrased. I answer as if I know them, very friendly, but when they leave, I say "I've never seen that person in my life." ....now, of course I don't mean people that I see all the time, but people in the past.

edjuju wrote:

Hi, Yes, I certainly have "brain fog," but didn't know what to call it. Can't remember things and this hurts because I used to have a great memory.
Many years ago, sleep study confirmed I had sleep apnea. Couldn't tolerate the mask -- sores, etc. I am a slim woman with high cheek bones and high bridge on nose. These are my pressure points.
    Just had another sleep study and will try again but am frigntened that I won't find a mask that fits. I had appointment with a fitter. The nasel pillows felt ok, but because I have small tubes in ears, the high pressure that I need gives me bad ear aches. I'm trying full face masks but they leak if I don't pull the straps very tight -- which, not only hurts, will, like years ago, give me sores on my face. I just don't know what to do.  Any ideas? Will appreciate "talking" to anyone about sleep apnea at this point. Thanks very much.

Do you have a sleep doctor? That would be the person to talk to about the problem with having tubes in your ears, I would think, in conjunction with whatever doctor is overseeing your treatment for whatever reason you have them.

Are you saying that you get earaches *only* with the nasal pillows, or am I misunderstanding? Is that why you changed to a full-face mask?

I use nasal pillows myself, but my understanding is that with most types of masks and full-face masks especially, the key to a good fit without leaks is to *not* pull the straps too tight. Admittedly, there are nights that I get so frustrated with not getting a good fit that I say to heck with it and tighten away just to keep the blasted thing in my nose, but that's neither comfortable (especially not the next day) nor as effective as a proper fit without over-tightening.

A good respiratory therapist (which I know can be hard to find) at your supplier should be able to find the right mask and show you how to adjust it.

Sores at first are normal, as far as I know (it just depends where--one advantage of the nasal pillows is that the sores were on the edge of my nostrils so they weren't very visible), but they should clear up as you get used to it. If not, there are various fixes suggested by people who love everything else about their mask except for the sores they get from wearing it.


_________________
Machine: Puritan-Bennett GoodKnight 420E (Auto)
Mask: OptiLife/Hybrid

I was diagnosed with OSA about a year ago.  This was something I had suspected for a couple of decades, just never followed up on it until I was having trouble staying awake at work.   I never realized that the potential consequences were so severe.

My criteria are; male, age 48, height 6'2", weight 233, and I am physically active as an avid mountain biker and volunteer trail builder.

The descriptions of brain fog seem to hit many of the points that I have experienced both before and since treatment.

After a year of using CPAP every night I am feeling more rested and alert during the day, though I still don't feel quite "normal."  On occasion I'll wake up without my mask, and I can feel the difference throughout the day!  So I KNOW that CPAP is beneficial.  

My experience includes a feeling that someone described above, as if I'm observing myself in life rather than being a part of it.  I still find myself drowsy at work occassionally.  I suppose that there is some aspect of depression involved as well, even though I play it down to myself and haven't fully investigated it.  I find myself easliy irritated with people and/or situations.   Lately I have been feeling very much as though I were an alien on this world, not quite fitting in.  Memory problems have not lessened since treatment began, though I may have been experiencing apnea for twenty-five years or so before treatment.  There is a feeling of melancholy (sp?) and listlessness that reduces my enthusiasm toward chores and projects I have time for, but just don't accomplish.  I've also been experiencing occular migraines this year, every now and then, which are pretty weird (I'm laying off caffine now).   For someone that feels very healthy otherwise I worry that I'm not hitting on all cylinders mentally sometimes.  

Another aspect that I have attributed to the apnea and was hoping to feel a difference about is a feeling of worthlessness and that my life has no purpose.  Being my age and unable to maintain a relationship may or may not be related to apnea, though it is certainly related to me feeling the way I do.  My entire life has been pretty much spent living alone.  I tend to avoid calling friends, thinking about calling but never actually doing so.  Generally I feel very out of place in social settings, making small talk, etc. though I am very good with technical talk, problem solving, and things along these lines.  Socially I find that the ease of conversation that come naturally to many is often awkward for me.  Over the years I have learned to "fake" it, but it takes a lot more effort on my part that it seems to take for most other people.

I find it facinating that so many others have similar experiences.  At this point I would be hard-pressed to say whether it is apnea related or merely a result of environment and experiences.  It was dissappointing to me that I haven't seen more improvement to many aspects of my life over the past year of CPAP treatment.  Though the changes I have experienced are well worth it, I was hoping for more things to be remedied after discovery and treatment.

Thanks for this thread!  At least I know that there are other people experiencing similar symptoms.  Whether these are related to apnea, psychology or some combination, and how to address them, that is the question.

J

It is a result of low cortisol.  That explains the feelings mostly occurring during the day, when you are stressed, etc. your adrenal glands stop producing enough cortisol. Take a 4 point saliva cortisol test.  You do it 4 times per day and I wiould guess that during the day they drop to almost nothing! I had the same problem.  Good luck!

erica 1262 wrote:

It is a result of low cortisol.  That explains the feelings mostly occurring during the day, when you are stressed, etc. your adrenal glands stop producing enough cortisol. Take a 4 point saliva cortisol test.  You do it 4 times per day and I wiould guess that during the day they drop to almost nothing! I had the same problem.  Good luck!

You might be entirely correct, but lately I've been moving away from adrenal related issues in trying to understand what's behind my brain fog, because there are number of other conditions where patients report the same symptom, which don't affect the adrenals, so far as I know - Celiacs disease, for example.  

Lately I'm starting to wonder if it's not the result of some kind of inflammation, but caused by what and for what reason I haven't the foggiest idea.

J77 wrote:

I was diagnosed with OSA about a year ago.  This was something I had suspected for a couple of decades, just never followed up on it until I was having trouble staying awake at work.   I never realized that the potential consequences were so severe.

My criteria are; male, age 48, height 6'2", weight 233, and I am physically active as an avid mountain biker and volunteer trail builder.

The descriptions of brain fog seem to hit many of the points that I have experienced both before and since treatment.

After a year of using CPAP every night I am feeling more rested and alert during the day, though I still don't feel quite "normal."  On occasion I'll wake up without my mask, and I can feel the difference throughout the day!  So I KNOW that CPAP is beneficial.  

My experience includes a feeling that someone described above, as if I'm observing myself in life rather than being a part of it.  I still find myself drowsy at work occassionally.  I suppose that there is some aspect of depression involved as well, even though I play it down to myself and haven't fully investigated it.  I find myself easliy irritated with people and/or situations.   Lately I have been feeling very much as though I were an alien on this world, not quite fitting in.  Memory problems have not lessened since treatment began, though I may have been experiencing apnea for twenty-five years or so before treatment.  There is a feeling of melancholy (sp?) and listlessness that reduces my enthusiasm toward chores and projects I have time for, but just don't accomplish.  I've also been experiencing occular migraines this year, every now and then, which are pretty weird (I'm laying off caffine now).   For someone that feels very healthy otherwise I worry that I'm not hitting on all cylinders mentally sometimes.  

Another aspect that I have attributed to the apnea and was hoping to feel a difference about is a feeling of worthlessness and that my life has no purpose.  Being my age and unable to maintain a relationship may or may not be related to apnea, though it is certainly related to me feeling the way I do.  My entire life has been pretty much spent living alone.  I tend to avoid calling friends, thinking about calling but never actually doing so.  Generally I feel very out of place in social settings, making small talk, etc. though I am very good with technical talk, problem solving, and things along these lines.  Socially I find that the ease of conversation that come naturally to many is often awkward for me.  Over the years I have learned to "fake" it, but it takes a lot more effort on my part that it seems to take for most other people.

I find it facinating that so many others have similar experiences.  At this point I would be hard-pressed to say whether it is apnea related or merely a result of environment and experiences.  It was dissappointing to me that I haven't seen more improvement to many aspects of my life over the past year of CPAP treatment.  Though the changes I have experienced are well worth it, I was hoping for more things to be remedied after discovery and treatment.

Thanks for this thread!  At least I know that there are other people experiencing similar symptoms.  Whether these are related to apnea, psychology or some combination, and how to address them, that is the question.

J

I too experience many of the social symptoms you describe. I have been on cpap for about two months now and I recently started taking provigil. Provigil is also documented to reduce apathy. The brain fog is highly reduced if not completely eliminated on most days. There are exceptions like today I took my mask off at six in the morning because the pressure points on the pillow were killing my nose and I went back to sleep when I woke at 8:30 I had a fog that has not yet cleared for three hours.  

Although I have been talking to psychologist and psychiatrists about the brain fog since my 20th birthday I did not receive any true help until I was 41. The brain fog is real as Tom Hanks will attest in Joe vs the Volcano. This thing has been holding me back my entire life. Fight it don't let it hold you back any longer. I'm due to see my sleep doctor this week I hope I remeber to talk about the sudden onset of the fog after sleeping two hours without the mask on.