Sleep Apnea Depression

Sleep apnea and depression sometimes seem to go hand in hand. Recent studies have finally begun to explore the connections between the two with some interesting results.

A 2009 study examined the connection between sleep apnea and depression.

This study involved 51 people with both depression and insomnia; they were evaluated by an overnight sleep study.

The results found that the percentage of people with at least moderate sleep apnea came in at 39%.

Men were more likely than women to have OSA. People with sleep apnea also were older and had a higher body mass index (BMI).

Previous studies also have also linked sleep apnea to depression.

A 2008 study found that about 19% of the men and 37% of the women had depression.

A 2006 study results show that people with mild sleep apnea were two times more likely to have depression than people without OSA. The risk of depression was even higher in people with moderate or severe sleep apnea.

There is good news however.

A 2007 study examined the effects of CPAP therapy on depression. It recommends CPAP as the treatment of choice for people with sleep apnea.

Four to six weeks of CPAP therapy lowered depression symptoms in 94% of the group.

This improvement was even long lasting; after one year of CPAP therapy, 88% of the group still had lower symptoms of depression.