Brain Fog Sufferer

[morningpersonnot]

Hypogonadism is a major contributor to Brain Fog, many males regardless of being CPAP users go totally undiagnosed with Low Testosterone but having Apnea certainly makes you a very likely candidate for it.
 
Given your age I would be looking at getting blood tests done to check levels particularly Free T, Total T, FSH, LH, SHBG, E2 (sensitive test) also Vit D as has been suggested.

Once your results are in dont take what the doctor says as being OK  or " in range" but visit this site peaktestosterone dot com either the main site or the forum to see where your T Levels lie.

That is very helpful, I will arranging for that asap. Many thanks.

[morningpersonnot]

As a fellow hypothyroid sufferer I can say that treatment can be tricky. Most docs will just get your TSH in range and call it a day. However many will still suffer from hypothyroid symptoms with a "normal" TSH. At a minimum you should be tested for freeT3, freeT4, in addition to TSH. For a more complete picture you should also test for anti-thyroid antibodies (TPO) and anti-thyroglobulin (TbAb) antibodies. Even if all that still checks out studies have shown that at least half of people with hypothyroidism feel subjectively better taking a natural desiccated thyroid medication such as Armour thyroid instead of levothyroxine. A very good website that discusses thyroid issues is http://www.tiredthyroid.com.

Many thanks, I will now certainly dig deeper into my thyroid situation. Looks like I came to the right place!

[groggygirl]

> Also all the tests doctors do in checkup. They are all bogus.

I have to disagree with that statement. The problem is that many people (including some physicians) take them as definitive instead of what they are, individual pieces of information that need to be fitted with other pieces of information (test results, history, and physical exam) to produce an understandable picture. An excellent family practitioner once told me he gets 80% of his diagnosis by listening to the patient. Unfortunately not all practitioners have that gift.

BTW, the brain is NOT a muscle. Muscle tissue is striated and designed to contract and release. Nervous system tissue (including the brain) is designed to receive and transmit signals.

[trish6hundred]

Hi morningpersonnot,
WELCOME! to the forum.!
Hopefully, you will soon find out what is causing your brain fog.
Good luck with CPAP therapy.

[DoubtFire61]

Have you tracked your pulse ox during your sleep?

[morningpersonnot]

Have you tracked your pulse ox during your sleep?

No I haven't. That's a good idea, is there a certain type of pulse oximeter that you might recommend for nightly monitoring?

Thank you

[SarcasticDave94]

FWIW I've had 2 versions of what can likely be this brain fog thing or something similar. Version 1 was lack of restful sleep due to severe apnea. It's mostly been vanquished via my ASV providing better restful sleep over the past several months of use.

The other brain fog is from chronic back pain and the medications I take daily to reduce the pain. This portion of brain fog makes it difficult to do normal daily tasks easily. Common acts require more deliberate thought, concentration. Conversations at times are interrupted with loss of train of thought. Even reading news articles can be a pain at times, as I have to re-read some segments over. Even driving feels less natural than it once did.

[ShaunBlake]

Have you tracked your pulse ox during your sleep?

No I haven't. That's a good idea, is there a certain type of pulse oximeter that you might recommend for nightly monitoring?

Thank you

There are quite a few posts about oximeters in Main and Software Support. From all the threads I read, I settled on the CMS50, and picked the 'F' version (CMS50F) as being closest to what I wanted. There are a few CMS models, and several versions of the 50. There are other brands, and the prices of a few are a little higher than the CMS50s; the prices of all the others are much higher to astonishingly higher.

FWIW, I haven't found any affordable oximonitors that are more accurate than the CMS50s.

The prices of CMS50s vary quite a bit so if quick acquisition is a large consideration you may want to shop Amazon. If like me, price is a larger factor then use various Internet shopping tools and find the best price+shipping you can.

HTH . Please let us know what you decide.

[Kryogen]

cpap has helped my brain fog alot
also taking vitd lately, unsure if I see a difference but still take it.

I still feel tired with cpap, but most of the brain fog is gone when I wear it most night. When I am unable to wear it alot (pain or kids), I sometimes wake up with terrible brain fog /headache that lasts most of the day until late PM.

[Hydrangea]

There are so many reasons someone might have brain fog.

The things I know that cause me brain fog (besides untreated sleep apnea) are:
- gluten
- wi-fi
- fluorescent lights
- bluetooth
- hotspots (like people using their cell phone to tether their laptop)
- alcohol consumption
- lack of sleep
- too much sugar, not enough protein
- not enough water