A poor night’s sleep can affect anyone’s mental state, and can lead to depression and anxiety. Being excessively sleepy during the day can also lead to depression. We’ve realised this for a long time, and this is why we’re keen on fixing your sleep for your physical and mental wellbeing.
A recent Australian trial has found that one of the most common sleep disorders (Obstructive Sleep Apnoea, OSA) and Excessive Daytime Sleepiness (EDS) is independently associated with Depression.
Lang et al (1) looked at almost 2000 community-dwelling Australian men over a period of 5-years.
Of these, 857 random participants without previously diagnosed OSA underwent a sleep study and performed the Epworth Sleepiness Scale questionnaire. Lang found that if you had previously undiagnosed OSA you were almost 2x as likely to have depression (adjusted OR 1.9), even after adjusting for confounders.
Being sleepy during the day (EDS) made you almost 2.5x more likely to have depression (adjusted OR 2.4).
Having both OSA and EDS meant a 4.2 times higher risk of developing depression.
So in summary :
• Having OSA, EDS, or a combination of OSA+EDS increases your risk of depression
• Those with depression have a high chance of having undiagnosed OSA
We should all be mindful of checking for both comorbid diseases (depression and OSA) as they can both negatively impact each other.
Call us now for an appointment if you’d like to discuss this further.
(1) Lang et al. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2015.
