Clinical Depression and Sleep Apnea

Help with Sleep Apnea and Depression

Your lethargy and depression are probably the result of sleep deprivation.

So once you repay that sleep debt, hopefully you will be back in better spirits and eager to walk the dog.

There are also other questions in a patient's mind which can depress him, such as:

• What will my partner think about me?
• Why can't I focus on anything?
• Why am I so tired?

People with sleep apnea tend to become social isolated from their partners and children because of their fatigue and sleepiness.

They will tend to stay less with their family and relationships and to spend more time sleeping.

Family or friends will be for him more like a burden than a source of support.

In this case, the solution is to start the treatment of sleep apnea before all this problems arise. You need all the support of the family and friends to continue the therapy.

The severity and duration of the person's depression depends on family support and on the individual. And you need lot's of positive thoughts to continue sleep apnea therapy.

Symptoms of Clinical Depression in sleep apnea

• pessimism


• fatigue


• decreased energy


• loss of interest


• poor sexual functioning


• poor self-esteem

Believe it or not, depression can appear when sleep apnea is successfully treated. But why a person would become depressed after successful therapy?

This type of depression can happen when a person experience a big change in his life in a very short time, from sleepy and lonely to awake and active.

Former sleep apnea patients may be pushed too fast into the active life, and he may feel strange about how to deal with this changes.

Be forewarned that clinical depression can also accompany the diagnosis of sleep apnea AND if you have a difficult time adjusting to CPAP therapy you may find your depression worsens because sleep becomes even more disturbed during a difficult adjustment period.

I'm not saying this to scare you or put you off, but only to let you know that if you find your depression worsening instead of getting better at first it's not unusual. You should keep close contact with your doctor in case you need to consider some medications either to help you sleep or deal with the depression.

Once you get through that adjustment period (it's sort of like having a new baby), you should start to see significant improvement in your mood. But you may feel worse before you feel better--keep that in mind and try to remember there is a very bright light at the end of the tunnel.

Just remember that your are not alone in having problems with sleep apnea and depression. It may help to talk with others who have been through similar experiences. Attend to group meetings and forums to find people who were in the same situation.

People who read about Clinical Depression also read about:

• Excessive sleepiness


• Chronic fatigue syndrome symptoms


• Sleep apnea and anxiety


• Alternative cures for sleep apnea

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