Depression is an extremely complex mental-health condition and research is continually being undertaken in order to gain a greater understanding of it. Recently, studies in the US have revealed that breathing problems experienced during sleep may raise the risk of suffering from it.
The studies, conducted by the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention or CDC, researched a sample of men and women who suffered from sleep apnea, and identified that women were 5.2 times more likely to have depression when compared to other women without the condition and that men were 2.4 times more likely.
Whilst the researchers discovered an association between sleep apnoea and depression – it is not necessarily a cause and effect link. However, the researchers believe that breathing problems during sleep almost certainly cause or worsen depression. As a result, the CDC has recommended that more effective and robust screening procedures are introduced for people who suffer from sleep apnoea – in order to determine their propensity for depression. This could lead to a better understanding of the condition and assist the development and design of more effective treatments.
However, whilst researchers believe that sleep apnoea can cause depression, they found no increased tendency for people who snore to experience depression during the study:
“Snorting, gasping or stopping breathing while asleep was associated with nearly all depression, including feeling hopeless and feeling like a failure” said study researcher Anne Wheaton, an epidemiologist with the CDC. “We expected persons with sleep-disordered breathing to report trouble sleeping or sleeping too much, or feeling tired and having little energy, but not the other symptoms.”
The researchers analyzed data collected from a sample of 9,714 adults who felt that they suffered from depression and provided the requested information in a questionnaire, with 6% of men and 3% of women revealing that they suffered from sleep apnoea diagnosed by a medical professional.
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