CPAP for Sleep Apnea Improves Depression

This was sent to me by a cpap friend in Seattle. It confirms the already known effect that cpap has on depression ... It is an interesting
set of point - DSM

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CPAP for Sleep Apnea Improves Depression

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- A common therapy for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) may also help treat patients’ depression.

A new study from The Sleep Center at University’s Community Hospital in Tampa, Fla. reveals OSA patients who are also depressed get relief from their symptoms of depression after they keep using continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP).

Researchers looked at OSA patients who responded well to CPAP and evaluated them for symptoms of depression. They assessed participants again after four weeks to six weeks of CPAP treatment, then again about a year later.

Results show CPAP therapy significantly decreased patients’ symptoms of depression at both the short-term and long-term follow-up periods. Researchers report they don’t completely understand why.

“Whether relief of the obstructive respiratory events with CPAP might ameliorate the symptoms by improving sleep continuity, by ameliorating the adverse effects of various neurotransmitters, by alleviating the adverse effects of any attendant hypoxemia, or by a mechanism as yet unknown, cannot be determined on the basis of the findings of our study,” study author Daniel J. Schwartz, M.D., a pulmonologist at The Sleep Center at University’s Community Hospital, was quoted as saying. “But, the data from our study suggests that successful CPAP therapy is associated with a statistically significant improvement in symptoms of depression, and that the improvement is sustained long term.”

CPAP is the most common and effective treatment for OSA. It gives patients a steady flow of pressurized air through a mask they wear while they sleep. The flow of air keeps the airway open and prevents the breathing pauses that characterize sleep apnea.

This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, which offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, click on: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.

SOURCE: Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 2007;3:462-46

Thanks, dsm. This has been the experience of many of us on this board. It's always good to see that someone in the medical profession is paying attention.

I've heard similar stories from my patients. Some also report improvement in short-term memory. I always figured it was mostly from restoring sleep architecture and preserving REM. It'll be interesting to see what further research shows.

Thanks DSM.

I'm looking forward to seeing further research in this area.

Well, no research is really necessary to be done by scientists, just ask anybody to sleep only 3 hrs a day for couple of weeks, and see whether they'll be happy or depressed.

Vadim wrote:Well, no research is really necessary to be done by scientists, just ask anybody to sleep only 3 hrs a day for couple of weeks, and see whether they'll be happy or depressed.

LOL !

Good point

DSM

Hey DSM, I can't write you a PM about this, since I'm at work, but I'm curious about your CPAP friend in Seattle. Is it SleepySandy by any chance? I've lost touch with her and been worried about her. If it is, will you pass along my best wishes to her?

Many thanks!
Barbara in Lakewood

[quote="Anonymous"]Hey DSM, I can't write you a PM about this, since I'm at work, but I'm curious about your CPAP friend in Seattle. Is it SleepySandy by any chance? I've lost touch with her and been worried about her. If it is, will you pass along my best wishes to her?

Many thanks!
Barbara in Lakewood

[quote="Anonymous"]Hey DSM, I can't write you a PM about this, since I'm at work, but I'm curious about your CPAP friend in Seattle. Is it SleepySandy by any chance? I've lost touch with her and been worried about her. If it is, will you pass along my best wishes to her?

Many thanks!
Barbara in Lakewood

And I say "AMEN" to that ! I am hardly depressed at all anymore unless I get large leeks, then of course I am sleepy, grouchy, groggy headed and depressed!!!

SleepyNoMore wrote:And I say "AMEN" to that ! I am hardly depressed at all anymore unless I get large leeks, then of course I am sleepy, grouchy, groggy headed and depressed!!!

Now I am sure you meant to spell that Leaks ? - When I get leeks, I eat em

DSM

(couldn't resist )

Thanks so much DSM!!!! Do hug Blarg for me. I'm so bummed we didn't meet before he moved South.

Thanks for the reminder. Sigh... I do wish I knew what happened to SleepySandy in the Seattle area...

Cheers,
Barbara

thanks to all of you kind members, my dme also charged $2700 dollars to my 2 insurances, and they paid it all, but then he submitted it 2 more times, and medicare caught it, and asked me about, i told them whole story, they did not pay him another cent, and told me to not pay anything either to him, dont even know where he is now,i may try to straighten this mess out, but i am quite happy with my auto, and maybe i will be able to have another sleep study later on, hard to believe these dme,s are such bad boys! thanks a bunch, two stepper

Babette wrote:Thanks so much DSM!!!! Do hug Blarg for me. I'm so bummed we didn't meet before he moved South.

Thanks for the reminder. Sigh... I do wish I knew what happened to SleepySandy in the Seattle area...

Cheers,
Barbara

Babette,

Blarg is such a nice bloke that I will give him a hug just for you my wife Sandy & I had Blarg & partner over for lunch just after he moved here (some months back). Funnily, his current employer is about 8 miles from where my employer & office is.

We have met some really wonderful people via this forum (all from the US). Leaves me wondering how many more we may meet. What a great forum this has been. I hope we get the chance to meet some local folk to.

Hmmm, must do something about that.



DSM