Trouble Sleeping Could Lead to Bigger Problems

Ivanhoe Newswire
Tuesday, September 19, 2006; 12:00 AM

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Sleeping problems may seem bad enough, but one study reveals people with sleep-related breathing disorder have an increased risk for depression.

Researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison observed 1,408 adults once every four years, examining their breathing while asleep. During the study period, 649 cases of mild depression and 392 cases of more severe depression arose. Women were nearly twice as likely to become subject to depression.

Participants with a minimal case of the sleep-related breathing disorder were 1.6-times more likely to be depressed than patients without the disorder. As the severity of the sleep disorder increased, the risk of depression did so accordingly.

"Our longitudinal findings of a dose-response association between sleep-related breathing disorder and depression provide evidence consistent with a causal link between these conditions and should heighten clinical suspicion of depression in those with sleep-related breathing disorder," report the study authors.

The sleep-related breathing disorder has also been associated with other health concerns such as cardiovascular disease and trouble functioning throughout the day.

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SOURCE: Archives of Internal Medicine, 2006;166:1709-1715