There is plenty of information available on how sleep apnea can impact your physical health, particularly in regards to your cardiovascular health. Sleep apnea can raise our blood pressure, has been linked to heart disease, and can lead to increased chances of a stroke or heart attack.
However, it is also well understood that, in order to improve your mental health, you need to improve your sleep. This means that sleep apnea can have potentially serious impacts on your overall happiness and general quality of life if left untreated.
What Does the Research Say?
It has been found that sleep disorders, including sleep apnea, can be hugely disruptive to the brain’s normal functioning, leading to a higher incidence of negative psychological conditions.
According to a 2017 peer-reviewed study, people who have untreated sleep apnea are 3.68 times more likely to suffer from anxiety and 3.11 times more likely to suffer from depression.
However, it’s not just doubled or tripled chances of developing anxiety and depression that you ought to be concerned about. With sleep apnea, you are 2.88 times more likely to develop severe psychological distress. Although the most troubling finding linked to this study is that sleep apnea sufferers are 2.75 times more likely to have suicidal thoughts
These are no doubt concerning statistics, but what makes it worse is that many of those who suffer from these psychological problems as a result of of sleep apnea feel as though their existing mental health problems are not being treated.
The study indicated that this is because either their sleep apnea goes undiagnosed or mental health professionals fail to link their patients’ symptoms to their health problems.
How Can This Be Addressed?
Those suffering from psychological disorders such as anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts should be tested for sleep apnea to get a definitive diagnosis. If they are found to be actively afflicted with the condition, then it should be treated immediately.
This should not simply be seen as an independent physical health issue but should be treated as a potential cause of the psychological condition.
According to another 2017 study, it was found that the earlier sleep apnea is detected and treated, the more likely it will result in rapid psychological recovery.
The kneejerk reaction of many healthcare professionals is to prescribe continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machines for treating sleep apnea. However, these machines can be cumbersome, expensive, disruptive and uncomfortable.
Thankfully, there are excellent, highly effective alternatives, such as mandibular advancement splints (MAS), which are more affordable, less intrusive, and far more comfortable.
Improve your sleep and prioritise your mental health today. Contact Absolute Sleep for more information on our range of medically tested and proven MAS treatments.
