Headaches and fatigue
 

I have mentioned in some of my posts about the contribution to PCS symptoms that sleep apnea can bring. I was reading some more about SBD, Sleep Breathing Disorder, and found that the most common symptoms of undiagnosed Sleep Breathing Disorders are headaches and daytime fatigue.

Since both PCS and SBD have these symptoms, my concern is whether the concussion/mTBI has caused SBD which in turn causes the headaches and fatigue.

Many meds prescribed for PCS symptoms also cause insomnia etc. I think it is a worthwhile approach to try to determine if sleep/insomnia and SBD are contributing to these prolonged symptoms.

A good sleep specialist should be able to help with this issue.

Personally, I fought hard and long to get a full sleep study. By the time my private health care provider was willing to schedule a sleep study, I was switched to MediCare with SSDI and had to start the process all over again.

I hope others have better success at getting a sleep study.

So did you actually have a sleep study done?

I tried to do a take home sleep study but it was inconclusive. By the time I got approved for a full in-clinic sleep study, I has switched to Medicare.

My wife has watched me sleep and observed 12 breathing cessations in an hour. Each lasted for a couple minutes.

She knows that if she hears me breathing irregular, I will have a bad day after I wake up. She tries to get me to roll onto my back because that is where I breath best.

My ex had a sleep study done and was diagnosed with sleep apnea. They said it was very important for him to use a mask breathing machine at night because it could lead to heart problems.

I think it's important that you TRY to get in for a sleep study.

Roadrunner, Thanks for your concern.

My sleep apnea is Central Sleep Apnea. My brain stops telling my diaphragm to take a breath. It happens most when I roll to my side and let my head tilt. I have an untreatable issue with my upper cervical area. It gets inflamed if I sleep with my head/neck tilted or twisted. If I sleep on my back with a pillow holding my head straight, I do not have a problem.

The solution to Central Sleep Apnea like mine is either a forced breathing device or an operation that installs a phrenic nerve stimulator (breathing pacemaker) with a wireless control system. I am waiting for the breathing pacemaker to be improved to an 'as needed' system that only kicks in when the O2 levels drop. Currently, the system is always on. It causes the diaphragm to jerk as it takes a breath. They are working on a model that only stimulates the diaphragm when the blood O2 stats drops.

I have sleep disciplines that minimize my Central Sleep Apnea. If my wife finds me sleeping bad (not breathing) she wakes me and tells me to go sleep in my recliner. I do not have a problem with breathing when I am sleeping in my recliner. My apnea causes my body to jerk so it wakes my wife.

I definitely know the risks of sleep apnea. My father died from dementia/Parkinson's after 30 years of untreated Central Sleep Apnea.

Here is an interesting article about a research study linking sleep apnea and dementia.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/we...o-brain-damage

I did a sleep study two weeks ago, they let me take ambian so I slept well. Mark, you should go into a sleep study program and get it done :)