The Link Between Sleep Apnea And Depression
It’s no news that lots of people around the world are experiencing depression. To be more precise, statistics given by the World Health Organization shows that an average of 300 million people know exactly how this disorder feels due to their episodes. They are well-aware of the rapid mood swings, a feeling of sadness, and a sudden loss of interest in activities that they once loved.
Having said that, beyond the fact that depression negatively influences moods, it is the leading reason for global disability among individuals. Now, while depression is quite common, it is also triggered by lots of factors, and sometimes depression medications and therapies don’t work due to several reasons. One such reason is mis-treatment.
Research has it that precisely eighteen million Americans experience sleep apnea, and an average of fifteen million adults experience a depressive episode. So, a lot of the American population can find themselves dealing with both conditions yearly.
To get things clearer, you may ask what exactly sleep apnea is, and what exactly is the link between it and depression/mental health? These would be discussed below.
What Is Sleep Apnea?
To start with, sleep apnea is a sleeping disorder that makes a person experience difficulty breathing when sleeping. It often arises from different factors that directly impacts the soft tissue of both the mouth and the nose.
Such breathing discomfort can result in headaches, insomnia, fatigue, and depression, all of which can affect the efficiency of daily living. With that said, the symptoms of this medical condition include snoring, irritability, attention problems, morning headaches, feeling short of breath after waking up and feeling tired even after having a full night of sleep among other things.
Going on, this condition can be treated by a person who suffers from it, deciding to make lifestyle changes such as losing weight by eating right and engaging an effective exercise routine. Such people also can use a breathing assistant device. All of which can affect your daily life.
What Is the Relationship Between Sleep Apnea And Depression?
While there are tons of research results that show that insomnia is connected to depression, it has also been proven that insomnia that’s caused by sleep deprivation medical conditions like sleep apnea has the largest connection to anxiety and depression. In proof of that, it has been discovered that approximately 46 percent of individuals with OSA known as Obstructive Sleep Apnea experience symptoms of depression.
That said, the symptoms of sleep apnea can sometimes have a semblance with the symptoms of depression. Hence, individuals that experience sleep deprivation, irritability, mood swings, headaches, trouble concentrating, and frustration, might either be depressed or be deprived of sleep due to sleep apnea. The individuals should, therefore, consult a sleep specialist at a sleep clinic to get the right diagnosis, treatment or therapy that they need.
On a final note, it’s undisputed that living a healthy and happy life is largely connected to getting well-rested, and avoiding conditions like depression. Because of this, to help you make sure your health is in perfect shape, we operate two clinics in Windsor and Leamington that deal with the health concerns of sleep apnea. So, you can be satisfied knowing that you will be back to sound health in no time. To further assist individuals that are burdened by depression and sleep apnea, we have discussed the link between both of them.