After a 17 month PCS journey (which included brain fog, nausea, anxiety, cranial tingling, fatigue, dizziness and disability) I finally felt like I had turned the corner in january 2015. Since then I've felt normal but always have had that little feeling that something was not quite right.

During and ever since the PCS I suddenly needed 9-10 hours of sleep at night rather than my lifetime usual of 7 hours. Even to this day.

A month or two after my early 2015 recovery I developed AFIB with no know cause and still suffer with episodes once or twice a month.
I recently discovered that I have moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea(OSA) after requesting a sleep study. OSA can cause AFIB.
I'm also finding out that my OSA may be related to TBI injuries.
Medscape: Medscape Access

BTW, I had no idea I had OSA, it was a complete surprise.
I'm posting this as a FYI if you should have sleep issues. It could be related to the TBI. You may want to consider a sleep study if you are suspicious. Untreated it can lead to more problems.
-Jim

I routinely suggest sleep and poor oxygenation as a risk.

The report is interesting. It is unfortunate that there is no control group or attempt to classify sleep prior to the trauma. Plus, there were no indications of CSA (Central Sleep Apnea) CSA can often make minor OSA into moderate to severe OSA. The anatomy of a TBI does not suggest a anatomical change that would create obstructions. Could it be that CSA is hidden in the diagnosis of OSA ?

btw, CSA is a condition where the breathing function in the brain stem malfunctions and does not tell the diaphragm to take a breath until oxygen levels are lower than they should be.

It would be worthwhile for these OSA diagnosed subjects to be examined for injuries to the nasal passages. I had nasal surgery last October for injuries likely suffered in 1965 when I had a severe face first concussion. It helped with my breathing and snoring but not my CSA.

Or, could there be a change in how the epiglottis (flap to the windpipe) functions after TBI ? That would cause a deep throat snore.

Somebody could have CSA and snore and be diagnosed as OSA.

I have CSA but my occasional snoring has no correlation to my CSA.

My father struggled with CSA for 40 years as it caused his brain to slowly deteriorate. Research shows that OSA and CSA cause brain atrophy. They also cause heart problems.

And, a night of CSA or OSA makes for a day of misery.

floridaman, Have you been fitted for a CPAP or BiPAP ? Is it helping ? When they work properly, they can be life changing.

For some, sleeping on an elevated mattress that lifts the head and shoulders is adequate. Many struggle with a CPAP. Continuous Positive Airway Pressure systems keep the airway open by forcing air in.

Mark-
I was just diagnosed with OSA yesterday. I expect a CPAP machine soon which I'm not looking forward to. But just about anything is better than AFIB. I'm hoping it will go away. I was just about to submit to an PVI ablation.

I was surprised that the TBI-OSA report linked obstructive rather than central to TBI's. But the brain runs everything, it's complicated.

Very few sleep specialist have any experience with CSA. Believe me. I've tried to find a sleep specialist for CSA. So, if you stop breathing and snore, it is OSA. Treatments for CSA are limited. Some try a BiPAP machine. Otherwise, there are just phrenic nerve stimulators to force the diaphragm to contract.

I have a friend with both but they only treat the OSA. His CPAP treatment helps but does not solve all of his problems. He needs an anti-convulsive med for sleep because his CSA causes seizures before his breathing restarts.

I've spent a lot of time researching this because CSA was a primary cause of my father's death.