Depression and Sleep Deprivation

General Discussion on any topic relating to CPAP and/or Sleep Apnea.
reffus1881
Posts: 19
Joined: Sat Jan 07, 2012 9:04 pm

Depression and Sleep Deprivation

Post by reffus1881 » Mon Jan 23, 2012 9:05 am

Does anyone have experience with having Severe OSA and bipolar depression. I am waiting for cpap this week hopefully. The reason i ask is i am having a hard time differentiating between depression and sleep deprivation. I have Meds and a Psychiatrist. and a therapist and use them all diligently.
This(cpap.com)is the only support group i belong to at present And its been a tremendous benefit. its been especially beneficial waiting for the results of my titration. Woke up last night and could not breath I sat up and gasped for air.I don't know why i didn't notice or remember this before. Thanks for all your hope and wisdom.

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Julie
Posts: 20020
Joined: Tue Feb 28, 2006 12:58 pm

Re: Depression and Sleep Deprivation

Post by Julie » Mon Jan 23, 2012 10:17 am

If you can sleep in a recliner, more upright, until you get your machine, or at least not sleep on your back, you are less likely to have wake-up events like you had last night..

Were you actually diagnosed as having bipolar depression vs depression (alone)? So many of us were treated for depression until finding out we had apnea and starting Cpap, and most found that Cpap made a huge difference, if not a complete one, to feeling so down, but if you're on certain meds for being bipolar, you might want to go over them again with a doctor who knows about apnea and who can work with you to readjust them if necessary to maximize therapy (for OSA) if they're now making it more difficult to do so.

ThirdOutOfFive
Posts: 294
Joined: Fri Jul 29, 2011 8:03 pm
Location: St. Louis, MO

Re: Depression and Sleep Deprivation

Post by ThirdOutOfFive » Mon Jan 23, 2012 8:33 pm

I have both OSA and chronic depression. I do feel better now that I am on PAPpy, because I no longer feel that my brain wakes up about 3 hours after my body. Also, not making so many idiot mistakes at work is good for my self-esteem.

It took me a couple of months to begin to feel better. Now, I have hope that I will make even more progress in the coming months. So, while it is far from a cure for depression, PAPpy is a great help. I hope it will be for you, too.