Lyme and Sleep Apnea Hypoxia

Hello, everyone. It's been a really long time since I've been on here. But do want to make it a point to get on more often to share my successes with Lyme treatment. I'm doing really well this year and making great strides forwards.

I had a quick question. The backstory is that I got two concussions in less than two years, and after the second concussion, I started suffering with very intense and unrelenting daytime sleepiness. Finally after 1.5 years, my neurologist ordered a sleep study. Turns out, I have mild obstructive sleep apnea.

I have been using a Auto CPAP for about two weeks now. And I'm noticing that my brain functioning has gotten WAY worse. I have made so many mistakes at work, can't remember simple things for any amount of time, and get words and letters confused.

My sleep study said that my O2 levels would drop to 85%, so I spent some time in hypoxia at night.

My question is that do you think that getting increased oxygen to the brain at night is actually helping to kill bugs in my brain or body that could be causing die off effects? My Lyme doc thought it could definitely be possible to increase antimicrobial effects because the bugs love it when there is no oxygen, but I haven't gotten a chance to ask her specifically about the brain issues. Just wanted to hear your thoughts. Thanks!

Hi, Walkingbyfaith. Thanks for your response. I actually have a full face mask that allows me to breathe out of my mouth. And also, the humidifier part of the CPAP helps me breathe out of my nose better.

Yes, without CPAP they would drop to 85%. With the CPAP, they did not go below normal levels. So I am getting more oxygen with the CPAP. And that’s where my question lies. It makes sense that the babesia is anaerobic and dies with more oxygen. I’m thinking that may be what is contributing to the worsening brain symptoms.

I do really feel like I am sleeping better. But it’s like the more quality sleep I get, the more sleep i want. A friend with sleep apnea said that my body will try to catch up for years without sleep. So that’s probably what is going on in combo with the babesia dying.