Question on Tinnitus/Sleep Apena

[chieft]

I am service connected for Tinnitus and diagnosed with sleep apena and use a cpap but not service connected for it, diagnosed after service. 

I saw an article that stated that sleep apena can be secondary to tinnitus, is this true?  

[broncovet]

When you ask "can" it be, well yes, it can.  You are going to need a statement from a doctor that says your sleep apnea is "at least as likely as not" related to your tinnitus.  

If you have that, go for it.  Even if you dont have that, you can go for it anyway, and get the nexus statement later...."if" your C and P exam does not provide a favorable nexus.  

How long after service were you diagnosed with sleep apnea??  Did a doctor note that you had sleep issues in your exit exam?  

[brokensoldier244th]

It would be helpful to know where the article was from to know if it was credible. There is one study I saw that speculated that snowing due to apnea could contribute to hf hearing loss bit it was a really small sample. Tinnitus can be easily linked to insomnia though. 

[broncovet]

I agree with brokensoldier..of course, we dont know if the article was one in a Scientific Journal, or if it was an article for one of the tabloids.  But the real significant issue is not whether or not WE think the article was credible, it matters whether your doctor thinks its credible.  We are not competent to opine on whether a study is valid or not, your doctor may cite this article in his or her opinion on his medical rationale as to why he thinks your sleep apnea is at least as likely as not related to your tinnitus.  

The "study", even if conducted by Harvard Medical school, does not necessarily mean YOUR tinintus caused YOUR sleep apnea.  The VA doesnt care if 80 percent of the study participants revealed tinnitus causes sleep apnea, what matters is does your doctor think it cause YOUR sleep apnea.  

The people in the study are not applying for benefits, you are.  Interpreting the study and if it applies to you is your doctors job.  

Edited April 10, 2020 by broncovet

[brokensoldier244th]

Here is the study I mentioned before

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5019138/

[chieft]

Thanks guys for the swift replies.  The research was done by the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit I  saw the article and thought I would ask..  Like I  said earlier I am SC for tinnitus but not sleep apnea because I was diagnosed several years after military.  I am under going treatment now for sleep disturbance, will wait and see what they come up with at the VA

[brokensoldier244th]

Tinnitus is an auditory nerve issue, apnea is a respitory issue except for centralized which  is also brain related . I have obstructive apnea and insomnia. Mine is service connected, and I have tinnitus also though they aren't connected to each other. Tinnitus can cause/contribute to depression and insomnia but you might have issues finding info on it being related to apnea. Even the study I posted was more about insomnia and HF hearing loss than apnea. If it was this article it was more talking about insomnia/sleep disturbance than apnea. You can claim sleep disturbance/insomnia as its own issue, though. 

 

https://www.henryford.com/news/2012/04/study-insomnia-takes-toll-on-tinnitus-patients