Question ... memory loss

baybeeg00 · 04-13-2007, 11:31 AM

Does anyone know if memory loss can be caused by being over weight? i am only 25 and have the worst memory in the world. i don't remember it always being this bad! my g/f is always saying that i dont listen to her. but truely i do.. every word.. i just have difficulty retaining it. even things i've done or said... i have no recollection of! its crazy! i'm going to ask my doc when i go but i wanted to see if anyone else has had this problem and maybe i after being banded and losing weight has it got better.:help:

faithmd · 04-13-2007, 11:39 AM

It is VERY likely sleep apnea. My husband has significant memory loss and we have seen about five neurologists, four pulmonologists and two internal medicine docs and they've finally traced it to his mild obstructive sleep apnea. Which sounds odd that mild apnea would cause such profound memory loss, but they believe it has. He does have better recall and mathematical ability if he uses his CPAP.

baybeeg00 · 04-13-2007, 11:41 AM

is he overweight? is he banded? if it is apnea.. isn't that something that goes away (most times) with weight loss.

faithmd · 04-13-2007, 11:55 AM

He is not banded, he is a little overweight (has the belly fat thing men get). It is improving with using the CPAP and as he is losing some weight. Controlling sleep apnea with CPAP and/or weight loss does help the memory loss (if that is the cause, but it frequently is the root cause in a lot of cases of memory loss in younger folks).

Do you sleep soundly?

Do you snore (he didn't, so that isn't always an indicator)?

Do you wake up with a dry mouth?

Do you wake up with headaches?

Do you wake up feeling well-rested?

baybeeg00 · 04-13-2007, 12:08 PM

I wake up and fall back asleep really easily. i'm very easily awakened. My g/f always says "i sure wish i could fall asleep as fast as you." for example, say the cats wake me up cuz they are into something, i wake up tell them to shut up, close my eyes and she says i'm already snoring again. so 2nd question yes i snore, only if i lay on my right side or my back, no so much when i'm on my left side or stomach. when i wake up i'm usually really thirsty. have been known to wake up and go to the kitchen and drink a whole glass of tea, or koolaid, or water in the middle of the night. if i go to sleep say 10 and sleep to 11 on a saturday yes i will wake with a headache. and very seldom do i feel well rested.
i have a lot of stress too at work. i'm very unhappy at my job and quite frankly am miserable. and i know that can have something to do with sleep apnea too.
years ago (back when i was married and very very unhappy) i was always feeling tired and actually falling asleep while driving. somehow i could take short lil naps at stop lights. i went to the doc and she wanted to test me for apnea but i was too scared. well shortly after that i got divorced and became much happier in life and it stopped happening. now aside from memory loss... i'm falling asleep at work some, i can be sitting straight up working and just fall asleep. its not happening while i'm driving though.. or should i say yet.

faithmd · 04-13-2007, 12:12 PM

You do have MANY of the classic symptoms of sleep apnea which *could* explain your memory loss, lack of attention and tiredness.

I would urge you to mention it to your MD and ask for a referral to a sleep doctor for a sleep study. I work with a few people who said their lives are changed dramatically with their CPAP. They are no longer tired all the time and their families say they are much kinder, no longer short and snippy and their memory seems to be returning.

Good luck!

baybeeg00 · 04-13-2007, 12:16 PM

thank you so much. i'm so glad that i decide to ask this question on this forum. i never thought to link it to my weight until recently. but i've always thought i had a touch of A.D.D but i think its just that i struggle with focusing.

Marimaru · 04-13-2007, 04:15 PM

I'm 25, and when I'm MAJOR stressed out, my memory just completely abandons me. I was asking my mom about it and she told me it was stress, and I've since noticed a pattern. I can handle 'basic' stress, but when you pile on bad family stuff, and planning my wedding (good things are stress too), I'm just nuts. Mom's been saying things like "it's that wedding brain".

Are you in a position where you could do something about your job? I know some people need the insurance to pay for surgery so they stick with a job they don't like, but if you can get out of it, I'd recommend it. The major things that make a job someone hates into a job they like don't happen much so the best answer is usually moving along...

I was never tested or diagnosed with sleep apnea, but I would be surprised if I found out I used to have it at least mildly. I used to snore really bad, and my fiance snores, and our snoring would wake eachother up and we'd be asking eachother to roll over all night. I don't snore anymore since having lost weight, and I don't really notice his much unless something (like a cat jumping on me) wakes me up.

I only got 3 hours of sleep the other night for something at work, and while I was exhausted during the day, I wasn't 'dead on my feet' if you know what I mean.

juliegeraci · 04-13-2007, 04:19 PM

Are you on a very low or non fat diet? Fat contributes to how the brain functions. I went on a fat free diet one time and I remember how much it affected my mind. Julie

baybeeg00 · 04-13-2007, 04:30 PM

im in the process of finding a new job. i already know the insurance here doesn't cover the surgery so i've applied at a place i know approves it! i have an interview there next tuesday!
as far as a diet.. nope not on one. just kinda watching what i eat.
i really think i have sleep apnea. if i can just get the band and lose weight i'm hoping it will all be corrected in time

juliegeraci · 04-13-2007, 04:33 PM

Good luck with your interview and LAP-BAND® process. It is totally worth it in the end. Julie

skyeblu79 · 04-13-2007, 07:50 PM

I have a horrible memory. My doctors says she thinks some of it may be stress related and lack of sleep..I don't have sleep apnea..

If wouldn't shock me down the road to hear it was weight related.

NurseTeresa · 04-13-2007, 08:04 PM

Mine also gets worse if I drink more nutrasweet. Just a thought I would throw out to everyone. I do have sleep apnea and a very stressful job. Things get worse with my memory with increased stress(which causes less sleep) and then if i am drinking more things with nurtasweet my memory is down to nill. I have an uncle who thought he was losing his mind and the Dr asked him how much nutrasweet he consumed...his response was I drink diet pop with it, koolaid made with it and ice tea made with it. The dr told him to cut down on it as much as possible and within a few days his memory was increasing. Just one of the side effects that the makers of aspartum do not share! So beware of too much nurtasweet!

Kelsy · 04-13-2007, 09:06 PM

I'm 27 .. I've been overweight my entire life and NEVER had a bad memory until like the past 2-3 years. I mean at work my desk is covered w/ 293949598 post-it notes.. I really don't think it has to do w/ my weight. I know quite a few overweight people who have excellent memories and they are severly overweight.

I have a thyroid...Even though it's not acting up or anything. One symptom is memory loss.

I am also deficiant in B12 (which i didn't find out until i got my blood work done for the band) - And memory loss is a side effect as well.

Hmmm... Interesting either way.

baybeeg00 · 04-13-2007, 10:49 PM

thank you for all ya'll replies! it makes me feel better to know i'm not the only one!