A recent study has shown that people suffering from depression may also be suffering from sleep apnea, but the link between depression and sleep goes much deeper.
BABW News recently reported that a study published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine has revealed a link between sleep apnea and depression, which could have huge implications for current mental health treatment paradigms. Even though it is extremely easy to treat sleep apnea by increasing airflow through the nasal passages during sleep, it may not be the only link between sleep and depression.
One of the most common treatments for sleep apnea is a CPAP mask, which helps keep airways completely open and eliminates the flapping and catching that causes snoring. People with sleep apnea often find themselves getting a much better night’s sleep after they have taken steps to treat it, which often leads to a more positive outlook during the day.
Depression, unfortunately, isn’t so easy to treat all the time. Symptoms of depression experience crippling fatigue, an inability to connect with people or activities that once interested them, and a debilitating hopelessness that looms over all aspects of life.
Depression is a persistent condition, and often requires hefty medicines to recalibrate the brain and return to a more normal state. According to the National Sleep Foundation, the link between depression and sleep is actually quite complex. The cause of depression is still unknown, but how much sleep we get and how well we sleep has a lot to do with how we wake up feeling the next day.
Read the full article here: http://www.babwnews.com/2015/09/the-surprising-link-between-sleep-and-depression-are-you-getting-enough/