Is sleep apnea a risk factor for depression?
May-21-2015

Sleep problems are often a symptom of depression, but a new study raises the possibility that they could cause depression as well.

In a sample of nearly 2,000 Australian men between the ages of 35 and 83, those with excessive daytime sleepiness were 10% more likely to be depressed than those without, according to researchers from the University of Adelaide and the Adelaide Institute for Sleep Health. The relationship held up even after taking other risk factors into account.

None of the men had been diagnosed with severe obstructive sleep apnea when they entered the study, but 857 of them were assessed for the condition after joining. Those who were found to have it were 2.1 times more likely to be depressed than those who didn't have the sleep disorder.

Some of the men had both severe sleep apnea and excessive daytime sleepiness. They were 4.2 times more likely to be depressed compared with men who had no sleep issues, the researchers found. Those with both conditions were also 3.5 times more likely to be depressed than men with only one of them.

All of the men in the study were evaluated for depression twice, with the second test occurring about five years after the first. That allowed the researchers to see whether sleep problems could be linked to a recent diagnosis of depression.

And indeed, the men who had severe sleep apnea that was discovered during the study were 2.9 times more likely to become depressed during those five years.

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