Sleep breathing problems linked with depression

di meliora · Apr 03, 2012, 12:32 PM

Quote:

Experiencing breathing problems during sleep may raise your risk of depression, a new study suggests.

Women with sleep apnea, in which breathing becomes shallow or pauses briefly during sleep, were 5.2 times as likely to have depression compared with women without the condition. Men with sleep apnea were 2.4 times as likely to have depression as men without the condition, according to the study from researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Participants in the study who had other breathing problems during sleep also had an increased risk of depression. However, the researchers found no increased likelihood of depression among people who snore. http://vitals.msnbc.msn.com/_news/20...ith-depression

A caveat:

The study found an association, not a cause-and-effect link. However, the researchers wrote that evidence from other research suggests that breathing problems during sleep may contribute to the development of depression. For example, one previous study found a link between the severity of breathing problems during sleep and the odds of later developing depression. And other studies have shown that people who received treatment for sleep apnea showed improvement in their depression.

Has your treatment team discussed the likelihood of a connection between breathing problems and depression with you?

gma45 · Apr 12, 2012, 12:40 AM

Interesting thanks.

Perna · Apr 12, 2012, 10:29 AM

I keep checking my husband in the middle of the night :-) but he's not depressed at all, never has been so that's good to know that he probably just has snoring.

I think depression is linked with a lot of chronic medical problems so it does not surprise me that it's linked with breathing problems at night. Apparently one third of people with asthma have depression: http://asthma.about.com/lw/Health-Me...Depression.htm

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Sleep breathing problems linked with depression

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