Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Daytime Sleepiness Among Men Linked to Depression

Men who had been previously undiagnosed and also suffered from excessive daytime sleepiness had 4 to 5 times greater chances of having depression.

Men with Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) are more likely to be at the risk of depression, reports a recent research.

Lead author Carol Lang from the University of Adelaide, Australia, said that the study, in a large community-based sample of men, confirmed a strong relationship even after adjustment for a number of other potential risk factors.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea - Overview
Obstructive sleep apnea should be suspected in overweight middle aged adults who snore loudly and which can cause interruption of breathing for 10 seconds or more and this results in reduced blood o

The study involved 1,875 men aged between the ages of 35 and 83 who were assessed for depression at two time points over a five-year period.

After adjustment for potential confounders, previously undiagnosed severe OSA was associated with an increased prevalence of depression, as was excessive daytime sleepiness. Men who had both previously undiagnosed and excessive daytime sleepiness had 4 to 5 times greater odds of having depression than men without either condition.

Both previously diagnosed OSA and previously undiagnosed severe OSA were significantly associated with recent development of depression.

Snoring Symptom Evaluation
People, who normally do not snore, tend to do so after a bout of drinking, viral infections or after taking certain medications.

Lang said that excessive daytime sleepiness and severe OSA were both associated with the prevalence and recent onset of depression in our community-based sample of men, and the presence of both was associated with an even greater risk.

What Causes Snoring and its Treatment?
Turbulent airflow causes tissues of the nose and throat to vibrate and the noise produced by these vibrations is called snoring.

Source-Medindia

Efficiency of Drug Therapy in Treating Obstructive Sleep Apnea: Review
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) also known as obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea (OSAH) is defined as a sleep disorder involving cessation or decrease in airflow in the presence of breathing effort.