British Snoring & Sleep Apnoea Association

I have some problem of OSA and mental depression last year. But i can't realize what was that and what should i do.But right now i comfortably about depression and sleep Apnea.Depression is a common term to all.So, to recovering depression is an essential things for all. The first thing to find out some proper way like TMS, rTMS, TRD method. TMS and both rTMS method based on some electrical method , has a coil and electrical method, in a TMS machine. It's depression treatment easy and comfortable for patient because it's easily find out the bad sector of gray matter which responsible for depression. On the side, not like so critical condition as depression.Sleep Apnea is only just depression after wake up from sleep on bed. TMS and TRD are not so much costly. So, you can choose as a best way and best way of method for stimulating and relaxing depression.This represents an important step leading to a more widespread use of TMS in the management of TRD. If you struggle with depression, and medications did not offer you the improvement you expected, contact TMS center to check if the transcranial magnetic stimulation is the right step for you.

This last post is very hard to read. It needs structure, sentences and possibly paragraphs.

I can only assume that this poster is trying to convince people suffering from depression to try some form of alternative therapy.

There is not enough information from the poster to give his actual health situation in relation to snoring and sleep apnoea, which are the subjects covered by this forum.

As this person does not claim to be a doctor or have specific medical or scientific knowledge, I can only warn members of the forum to be very careful when undertaking any therapy that is not directly medically validated. Even things that are 'natural' can do you harm.

If you suffer from OSA or CSA, you need treatment for life. If you suffer from depression you need equally specialised treatment, often very long term. If you are currently taking medication for diagnosed depression DO NOT STOP TAKING YOUR TABLETS even if you start 'alternative' therapy, and check with your medical doctor about the effects (including possibly negative or even dangerous side effects) as soon as possible.

I'm glad I saw this thread. My depression has grown greatly over the past year, I get quite irritable and small things just send me off into an insane inner world of despair, paranoia and utter deflation. My memory is getting terrible and have been having lots of irrational arguments with my girlfriend, I swear that she is the one starting these but i just don't know anymore. I am on medication for this but it just seems to be getting slowly worse. I am hoping that if we can get to the bottom of the sleeping disorder it may in turn help me out mentally.

The link is a no-brainer really.

If you consider that constant stress is proven to cause depression by releasing stress hormones into the bloodstream which in turn deplete serotonin causing depression.

I expect severe sleep deprivation does pretty much the same thing as the hormones the body releases to cope with lack of sleep are the same!!!

I too have suffered depression with no obvious trigger for many years.
Also, Headthrob, you get what is known as cognitive distortions when depressed. i.e. small things become big problems etc. etc. So you'll see or should I say 'interpret' things differently. Lack of sleep is going to make this worse. It's a viscious cycle...one feeds the other. Then of course you'll be worried about keeping your job.....

I suppose, you'll also be putting the small amount of energy you have into work & paying the bills. I know I force myself to keep going and just plummet when I get home and the exhaustion kicks in.

Hopefully your NHS will get you on therapy asap. A good night's sleep makes a world of difference. Hang on in there!!!

ABSOLUTELY.

But please do get yourself checked by a medical doc on the NHS before spending hard-earned cash on other methods. And if you are on meds for depression or start them, please be careful.



What's proper and what's not proper? This is too glib for my liking. What 'electrical method'? I thought that ECT was now out of fashion and not a guaranteed effective treatment.



What 'bad sector of gray matter' are we talking about here? And how can anyone know exactly where it is in each individual. We are not all structured exactly like a text book.




Sorry. This is just woffle.



Oh really. So how 'not so much costly' are they ... and where do you find them?



What does the poster mean by 'stimulating and relaxing depression'? Yes, it may be a post written by someone whose first language is not English, but it really needs clarifying.



This sounds like advertising, albeit without a contact name, address or phone number. Depression can require long-term treatment, and anyone expecting a 'quick fix' is setting themselves up for disappointment.

If you are clinically depressed, are you sure that you are in a fit state of mind to make judgements about and to change your treatment, especially if it means dropping your allopathic doc for an alternative treatment?

Perhaps this 'method' might make you feel better temporarily, but there is no guarantee that it will 'cure' your depression in the long term or for good.

If I seem to be overreacting, I accept that you are entitled to your opinion. I'm simply speaking from personal experience of longterm treatment for depression linked to Sleep Apnoea, and also having had to undertake a relatively long term serverance programme (and educate my GP at the same time) to come off my medication successfully and without undue side effects or risk of rebound. I am now 5 years clear of medication, and would not like to see anyone being treated for depression being given hope of treatment without validated medical support.

Transcranial magnetic stimulation
I think inconclusive best represents the evidence for that one!

As Alsacienne said, stick to your current treatment and don't come of it without a Docs advice. Then if in the future you do, reduce the dose gradually. If the OSA treatment reduces the depression then that's a massive bonus.....but same rules apply. See the Doc first, and reduce the dosage slowly!!!

I absolutely agree Alsacienne. When I first had depression, about 10 years ago, I didn't really know what was going on and when the doctor prescribed me medication which I was meant to take for ages, I wasn't pleased and I could have easily been swayed to any other 'miracle' treatment. If someone had told me to stand on one leg in the middle of the street with a strawberry in one hand and a copy of T'Pau's single Heart and Soul in the other whilst singing the theme tune to Star Fleet, i probably would have done it. The GP is the very first point of call and any alternative treatment should be discussed with them first.

Hi

I suffer dreadfully with depression and Bipolar 2 and OSA and i seem to have a dilemma that even the pros cannot sort out, believe it or not my Psychiatrist tells me i need to resolve my sleep issues before he can help me and my Sleep specialist tells me i need to sort out my depression before i can overcome my severe fatigue and tiredness.

What are we supposed to do if these highly paid pros cannot even offer any help without blaming each other

Stillo

I absolutely and 100% agree, there is a screamingly obvious link between SA and depression. When they diagnose you with SA they ask you to fill in a questionare asking how likely is it that you will fall asleep in a cinema. Well Really? They haven't got a clue

They don't ask you do you feel like utter shit most of the time and have hardly got the energy to do the simple things in life. Prolonged sleep deprivation is a form of torture, illegal under the Geneva Convention. How can it not lead to depression, relationship problems, workplace problems, iritability, lacking in of any form of motivation? Too tired for socialising. How do you fill in the form when there is no box that says I don't fall asleep in the cinema because I can't be bothered to go?

Thats not mentioning comfort eating, binge drinking, putting on weight and feeling even more depressed than you were before.

I don't know how we can do it but these health professionals really need educating.

To close to the truth

Hang on a minute there!!

This is one of the saddest side effects of OSA for me. Even though I'm under treatment and doing well, I cannot go to the cinema because once the lights go down, I'm away in the land of Nod. Doesn't matter what the film is, I'm asleep. It's SO frustrating, and there are so many DVDs I'm waiting for at present.

I wrote a blog on this subject nearly a year ago with almost exactly the same title of this thread. There were also some very interesting comments from the readers of it http://www.sleepapnoeablog.com/the-link ... onanxiety/

A massive percentage of people of people with sleep apnoea have suffered from mental, psychological and emotional problems at least in some stages of their lives before diagnosis, and I am surprised at the comment from the sleep doctor further up the thread. Like has been said, sleep deprivation has been used as a form of torture. Even people who haven't been affected by these problems specifically can get other issues, like bad tempers and moodiness, and this has actually caused marriage break ups. Thankfully, when people are successfully treated for sleep apnoea they usually find a big improvement, if not a complete cure.

A third of our lives is meant to be spent in safe restorative sleep, and if this isn't happening it doesn't just affect our physical health - it has a knock-on effect to our whole being. What's sad is all the poor folk struggling on, totally unaware that their sleep is at the root of their problems.

I myself have had periods of depression over the years and always believed they were stress related.
But if you look into Serotonin that is produced in your body you will find the answer to the problem.

Poor sleep / osa /sleep problems will decrease serotonin levels here's wiki's description on it .

Serotonin or 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) is a monoamine neurotransmitter. Biochemically derived from tryptophan, serotonin is primarily found in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, platelets, and in the central nervous system (CNS) of animals including humans. It is popularly thought to be a contributor to feelings of well-being and happiness.[5]
Approximately 90% of the human body's total serotonin is located in the enterochromaffin cells in the alimentary canal (gut), where it is used to regulate intestinal movements.[6][7] The remainder is synthesized in serotonergic neurons of the CNS, where it has various functions. These include the regulation of mood, appetite, and sleep. Serotonin also has some cognitive functions, including memory and learning. Modulation of serotonin at synapses is thought to be a major action of several classes of pharmacological antidepressants.

Hence why when you get depressed they give you a Serotonin .

Well thats just my thought on it ,

Regards,

Well I have never been the type of person who considered myself to feel depressed at all, I do get worked up & I do get stressed. Around 4 years ago now I was experiencing what were later diagnosed as Angina type symptoms brought on by stress high blood pressure & high cholesterol, I had various tests at the cardiology dept at Addenbrookes hospital in Cambridge. The final one being an angiagram, for those that don't know what this is they put a probe containing a small camera into an artery in your groin. Then insert this through your arteries up into your heart, this is used to check your heart valves for operation & to inspect your arteries for partial blockages or collapse. I'm pleased to say that I was given a clean bill of health, its not a nice experience & comes with a 1 in a 1000 risk of death during the test !.

So I was told my problem was due to my stress high blood pressure & high cholesterol, I'm glad to say that after 3 years of experimentation & 2 GP's this is now under control.

But during the period I was being treated by my first GP for all of this which he made a right mess of & caused other issues, he also thought it would be a good idea to put me on anti-depressants. I didn't want to take them as I thought I didn't need them, but he convinced me to try them as he said they would just take the edge off things for me.

Now I have to admit that after being on them a month I did notice the benefit, but I was only taking 2 a day from the 4 a day I was prescribed. I did feel much more able to cope with the stress of things in general, I have 3 teenage children still at home who are constantly fighting & arguing. My job for various reasons has been very stressful for the past 4 years, however after being on them for 3 months he took me off them as he said he didn't want me to get used to having them & that I would have to find other ways of stress management.

This had the effect of making me feel really down for around a week as I came off the pills, I don't seem to be able to avoid stress in my life even though I'm not 1 of the worlds natural worriers unlike my dear old Gran who seemed to be a professional worrier.

I guess the way I cope best is to try & remove myself from situations that increase my stress levels, which mostly means avoiding contact with my children as much as possible when they are fighting each other this is not something however I'm proud of. I have also tried to avoid face to face contact with customers at work as much as possible, this has been possible due to the understanding of my employers who have been very supportive with my health issues over the past 4 years.

I had to change GP's as my first one had completely messed up all of my medications to the extent that they were interacting & causing all sorts of nasty side effects, he then denied that this could possibly be the case & would not work with me.

At this point I went to see another GP in the same practice who couldn't have been more helpful, he listened to my issues & we changed around types & doses of all my medications until we found a combination that works well for me. At this point I thought I will raise the issue of my snoring & lack of energy again with my new GP, he asked me a few simple questions & said he would refer me to Papworth for some tests. I was diagnosed with severe sleep apnoea with a score of 86 episodes per hour, I have now been on cpap treatment for 6 weeks & feel much better for it.

I have much more energy, generally feel better & I'm finding that I don't get stressed quite as much as I did before, but it wasn't until I started reading on this forum that I ever considered there might be a link between sleep apnoea & depression.

I can honestly say I have no idea at what point I started to suffer with sleep apnoea, it just creeps up on you until you hit a critical point. I had never even heard of sleep apnoea until I was referred to Papworth & diagnosed with it, yes I was waking up tired with a fuzzy head, yes I was falling asleep during the day whilst at work, I was even having a nap at lunch time most days in order to make it through the working day. I knew something wasn't right as I felt shattered most of the time, but I was going to sleep & apart from a couple of trips to the loo during the night ( which had only been going on for 8 months prior to my diagnosis) I was not awake until my alarm went off in the morning. So as far as I was concerned I was sleeping okay, even though I actually wasn't.

If it wasn't for my new GP who has been fantastic I honestly don't know where I would be now.

Gerry.

Hi Gerry,
It was interesting reading that , almost classically how Sleep Apneoa creeps up on you, so slowly you don't notice how much of an effect it is having on you.
You just think you are dead on your feet in the end and so lacking in energy and jist want a good sleep, but when you do you still feel tired. Also you just can't be bothered with problems, you just want to be left alone.
Glad you are getting yourself sorted out.
I know you have other issues as well, but take it one step at a time.
I do read most posts, but sometimes I just don't have an answer
Good luck.

S2S