Dementia and sleep apnea

My husband was diagnosed with mild sleep apnea after being diagnosed with ALZ. They did an at home overnight test that I know was poor quality. He flat out refused CPAP. Around that time, we got a new mattress and splurged on an adjustable bed. We sleep with the head of the bed up around 30 degrees. It’s probably 90% effective at getting rid of the sleep apnea. If I hear him stop breathing, I wake him up and have him turn on his side. Maybe not a perfect solution but good enough. He doesn’t like having the head of the bed up but at this point, he thinks we’re doing it for me so he does it.

My husband had MCI when he was diagnosed with sleep apnea. He couldn’t find a mask that he wouldn’t pull off in his sleep. The rep suggested he give each a try for a couple weeks and the rep ended up making repeated trips over a few months with different types until finally my husband said, “Forget it”.

I wonder if the apnea has been due to his brain forgetting to regularly breathe or if there is an obstruction? He is on the thin side and his adenoids do not look obtrusive. Recently when I’ve stayed with him all night, in a deep sleep stage he sometimes stops breathing for up to 45 seconds (yes, I count) before gasping loudly for oxygen. How can this have not contributed to his now advanced cognitive decline?

With this, I wonder I should have encouraged him to try harder, or perhaps tried again a year later with new technology?

@Nowhere my DH has mixed sleep apnea, I imagine that the part of the brain that tells him to breath when he's asleep is damaged. He is currently able to tolerate a mask that just fits over the nose, the larger masks he refuses to wear. I do think he will eventually refuse to wear the mask at all but we'll cross that bridge in the future.

My DH was diagnosed with severe sleep apnea 20 years ago and refused to wear a CPAP. From what I have read, sleep apnea can contribute to dementia and heart disease. He has both. Laney, I wouldn't fight this battle. Save yourself for one that you can win.

January 2018 my DW was interviewed/tested by a Clinical Psychologist. A many page report, near the end, stated "According to the research literature, there are several measures typically associated with early signs or future diagnosis, of Alzheimer’s disease. The patient scored below most of these levels including the following "(then listed many test scores).

He went on to state "There are several other factors that complicate a diagnosis however. Firstly, the patient has been previously diagnosed with moderate sleep apnea and has gone untreated for many years. Chronic sleep apnea can certainly cause cognitive difficulties due to the repeated nightly hypoxic events causing damage to the brain. Secondly, the patient currently reports moderate symptoms of depression which can also contribute to cognitive difficulties. Lastly, the patient is currently prescribed several medications (amlodipine, aripiprazole, atorvastatin) on which patients often report memory and other cognitive problems as side effects."

In the early years with a CPAP machine, she would only wear the nose piece AND that was seldom sealed to the nose properly (she didn't want to mess up her hairdo). For the last 6 months or so she has discontinued using it completely.

So, she never received a definitive diagnosis of Alzheimer's, but is probably in stage 5 or 6.

She sleeps very well without the CPAP.

BUT, for the younger readers without dementia, if you have sleep apnea it would be a good idea to use your CPAP machine!