British Snoring & Sleep Apnoea Association

Hi all,

Firstly i have been encouraged by finding this board and astonished of the similarities between other apnea sufferers experiences and my own..i honestly did feel that maybe i was the obly one this was happening too.

My wife and i recently split after 10 years of marriage and two beautiful wee daughters who i love dearly..I have been a heavy snorer for my whole life (im 36) nad for the last 5 years have been battling with clinical Depression, taking the good days with the bad..i first suspected i had sleep apnea around the same time 5 years back and my Doc sent me to a sleep disorder clinic where they fitted me with akind of gum shield. which i wore for a fortnight then had to give up as i have hereditary sore and bleeding gums and i was waking up in the morning in agony...i now hope to return to my G.P. to ask him about a CPAP Machine and any other treatment available..

I have been very irritable for the last 5 years,prone to crying for no real reason,easily upset,have developed a fear of dying suddenly and very scared of being on my own at times

None of my friends seem to understand this condition, they think its a bit of a joke if i fall asleep at their houses in the aftenoons or evenings or, as has happened, when we are on a night out...i fall asleep travelling in cars and buses, often without warning..i have spilled a cup of cofee all down myself and was unaware of doing so..once i fell asleep while pushing a shopping trolley around the supermarket..terrifying.....I also often fall asleep after i get in for work or after my evening meal..

I now have realised that Apnea attacks are the likely cause of a large amount of my depression..the constant tiredness adn extreme fatigue i suffer only send me further down the spiral..i so hope that i can somehow find a way to change this...i have also fallen asleep several times at work but am too scared to tell my bosses what i suffer from in case they make me redundant..sure some of you have been there too...

Sorry to have moaned a bit but i bet many of you see similarities with my story and may feel grateful that they are not the only one that has experienced these concerns..

Love to all here and best wishes

Rab Watson

Fife,Scotland
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As perhaps you can see Rab I have been all over this forum with my opinions, so I might as well have my twopennyworth on your post.
I was sent to shrink for while as it was believed at one time my sleepiness was caused by depression before I was diagnosed with OSA and when I told my shrink of the diagnosis he was little sceptical and still thought I had "issues", but I did stop seeing him.
There's no doubt I'm obsessed by my condition and that affects a lot of my outlook and perhaps makes me more miserable than I would otherwise be.......I thinks so.

Hi Rab,

I have had the symtoms of OSA for many years now without realising what it was. I too have suffered from depression, and have done quite a bit of reding recently which indicates that depression is common in OSA sufferers.

I was prescribed CPAP machine this week, so I am very hopeful that I will feel better mentally as well as physically. I had occasion to visit my GP who suggested that I can begin to reduce my antidepressants when I begin to feel more rested after sleep, which I think I already do! so today I began to reduce them. (fingers and toes crossed)

I hope things improve for you soon, many people don't realise there is more to OSA than lack of sleep.

Take care of you

Moi (Glenrothes)

blimey i've just read your posting and i sound like a female version of you.
i'm 37 mum of one and for the past 11 years on and off i've been treated for depression...tiredness, irritability, dreadful thoughts, i have weight gain and generally feel crap.
my main nightmare is going on holiday (usually to the east coast as im too tired and scared to drive futher)... i arrive feeling tired and i have a child who is raring to go and i then put the tv on to occupy her whilst i have a sleep for an hour, i hate it an try so hard not to but then i end up feeling worse and i get short tempered if i dont.
i now know i have osa!
well what a relief, but then what a nightmare when i see the cure (cpap)
how seductive is that? how do you tell a future partner, goodnight darling i'm now going to put on my mask!!
i hope your treatment goes well an if nothing else this has made you smile!

thankfully i've not suffered with the depression part,but from osa for nearly 12 yrs now,& @ first like Rab it seemed quite funny 2 others that midway through conversations i would also fall asleep,or in the mornings,just after getting out of bed i would nod of in my cup of tea.

well due 2 a long standing disability,my osa got much much worse very quickly,& it was decided that cpap was the only solution,so after a night of sub zero temperatures blowing up my nose & a very dry mouth the next morning things had gone pretty well i guess.

but a further 5 yrs down the line & my blood gases started 2 rise again,& so i was introduced 2 my new bed partner,called NIPPY TWO,which i can say is doing a grand job all round.

Well i went to the DR back in 1989 thinking i had SAD and they said i was to cheerful to start any treatment HELLO WAKE UP YOU MUPPET DR`S 17YEAR`S latter im screwed up with



Cronically sleep deprived
and sleep apnoea


mmmm was on antidepressents for a while but had no effect what a shock but thats just me



i got to stop venting my anger on the NHS........... NOT!!!!!!!



well work in 4 1/2 hours surpose i`d better lay in bed staring at the ceiling till the alarm goes off

PFZ1

If you're waking early, you might be depressed. There is now some evidence that CPAP improves the symptoms of depression in those who also have OSA.

Could you elaborate on your problems, you might as well, who knows, maybe we can help

I certainly have suffered from depression over the last few years together with big mood swings, poor concentration etc. Anti depressants had no effect on this (when I could remeber to take them!). My marriage has been on the verge of collapse on more than one occassion... my wife must be a saint.

One thing I do do and have not seen anywhere else on this site is sleep walk. I had no idea I did this until my wife mentioned it after my apnoea diagnosis as she had always assumed I had been awake. I often get up to go to the loo (apnoea related I now know) or go down stairs and raid the cupboards for food (not good as I'm diabetic) and I've even been round closing windows...all of which I have no recollection of ever doing. If my wife trys to wake me I swear and am abusive which is very frightening for us both (although not for me at the time as Im not awake). Has anyone else experienced anything similar?

Yeah me too, and my partner has also suffered symptoms like the above due to his own lack of sleep caused by me!!

A few weeks ago I had a CPAP for a weeks trial and felt amazing on it, I cannot wait to get my own one in a few weeks time. Hopefully we'll both start to feel human again soon.

Quite a few people think that there is a link between nutrition and depression. The Japanese, as a nation have very low rates, they also eat a lot of fish!
Strangely enough, drug companies don't seem to be researching this angle very much

The following links might be helpful

http://hiqnews.megafoundation.org/2003- ... _Oil-3.htm

http://www.ivillage.co.uk/dietandfitnes ... 87,00.html

http://www.udoerasmus.com/products/oil_blend.htm

Omega oils are generally quite safe to take alongside any prescribed medicine.... DO NOT STOP TAKING PRESCRIBED MEDICATION WITHOUT CONSULTING YOUR DOCTOR!

Anyone who does not want to **Splash the Cash** could try eating a couple of tins of Sardines in Tomato Sauce per week, along with a small bag of Brazil nuts (for the Selenium, assuming you are not allergic to nuts)

Cheers...Ken

If you don't take them they won't work! They can take some weeks and require dose to be adjusted for best effect. If you are still meant to be taking them, do so. The insomnia should be the first symptom to disappear if due to depression. I have been treated for depresssion for 10 years now and have been able to reduce my dose of antidepressant since starting CPAP. :-}

I have been using the CPAP for 6+ years now, and also suffer from dysthemic depression, and take antidepressants.

I have had to accept the CPAP and mask, also that I have to take antidepressant medication longterm to stay balanced.

Not easy decisions, but MUCH better than the guilt I felt. At least I have help and support.

There may be a link between the two - but I for one am glad that both can be managed effectively, and that life goes on more smoothly than before.

What's the difference between clinical depression that needs treating, and just regularly being depressed? I'm often depressed, and i just wondered what the difference is between just being depressed, and clinical?

Briefly anyone who feels a bit blue tends to say that they are feeling depressed.

Clinical depression is a medical condition which has been diagnosed by a doctor and where the patient is suffering from more than just feeling low or blue, with a substantial timescale and sometimes with a significant trigger event or series of trigger events. The person is not able to help themselves (and being told to pull one's self together is of absolutely no use at all) and needs specific help from a specialist. Depending on the individual's needs, it can be treated by medication (which often affects the chemistry of the brain which has become unbalanced) or by a talking therapy such as CBT - cognitive behaviour therapy.

Being treated for depression is more common than you might think. It is not the person's 'fault' and any blame or shame that an outsider tries to add to their burden is just added cruelty. Depression affects 1 in 4 men and 1 in 10 women. (Bet many people think it's more common in women than men!!)

Understanding, tolerance and allowing the sufferer to get better is required. There is no taboo in depression, though sufferers often feel isolated and vulnerable and are often shunned by those who should know better.

I hope that this puts you on the right lines, but you might get a better idea from googling the internet ... starting with Wikipedia perhaps!

Hi all,
I don't know where to start. I've been diagnosed with OSA and have been using my CPAP for about 7 years now. I've also been diagnosed with clinical depression since 2006 and have been taking antidepressants almost ever since.

Up until January 2010 everything seemed to be working as best as can be expected. Then I started waking up every morning feeling just as I had before using the CPAP. After several consultations with my local Sleep Clinic I have been prescribed the maximum possible dose of "Modafinil", mix that with the maximum dose possible of "Citalopram"

Now I'm just a shell of what I used to be, which at 46 years old, is certainly nothing to be proud of.

I'm struggling on ESA BENEFITS, in fact, in January I was found to be entitled, then in June this was revoked. I'm now in the process of appealing this change.
It seems to me that not enough is known about the true consequences of having both SEVERE SLEEP APONEA AND CLINICAL DEPRESSION.

If there are others out there, you're not alone.

If I can help out in any way (just don't ask for money as I'm in debt as it is!)

If anyone can help me, please do. I'm lost.

"ALWAYS LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE OF LIFE!" much easier to write than actually do.

Cheers