Depression and the link with Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA)

[OSAMay]

Hello everyone, I have had depression and anxiety for over 30 years since my 20s and I have always been a bit tired. However for the past at least four years I have been absolutely exhausted, anger turning to rage, irritable, forgetful etc, so bad I couldn't keep a job anymore. My doctor and other doctors (as I have tried to get second opinions) said it was all part of depression, and menopause and some stressful situations in my life. My circadian rhythm has been out of whack for years and I often can't sleep and night and sleep all day. I put on 25 kgs and hardly left the house and was beginning to think I had early on-set Dementia because I was forgetting things, I was scared, felt lazy, and a waste of space. I thought this is no life, I'm going mad! What I realise is that I was depressed ALL THE TIME, I was depressed because I wasn't getting a proper night's sleep because when I did get a good few hours sleep I felt great the next day, which would happen maybe once a fortnight if I was lucky. So I started to do a bit of research, thought of my family medical history, and talked to my family and what we realised is that my snoring had become much worse in the last 2 years (my daughters had not seen me for 2 years because of co-vid). So I decided I might have Obstructive Sleep Apnea. I went to my doctor who referred me to a Sleep Clinic, I did an overnight test and VOILA!! I have Severe OSA which means my airway gets blocked and my heart and brain have to get me breathing again. To cut a long story short, it means I haven't been getting a proper sleep for years, and I could have had a stroke or heart attack anytime. My research tells me that people who are diagnosed with Depression may also have OSA especially if you snore, and if treated may improve the depression. I don't deny that I have depression, and all that comes with it, however the OSA was not diagnosed because my doctor kept saying it my tiredness was because of depression. So please, please, please if you snore especially get checked for OSA, it may help.

[therising]

Hi OSAMay

I am so happy for you in regard to you not only finding your answer but also in you trusting your instincts and becoming your own detective.

Personally, I wear an oral appliance for my OSA, as it's only mild and not severe like yours (my heart goes out to you). I too had to do my own detective work as doctors insisted 'Being this tired is just a part of the life of a mum who's also taking care of 2 aging parents'. Grrr! Even with mild OSA it can be enough to mess with me on a number of levels. Being a mind/body/spirit kinda gal myself, I imagine you'd agree when I say OSA messes with you mentally through the adoption of dialogue such as 'Why am I so lazy? Why am I so hopeless? What's 'wrong' with me?' and the list goes on. With eating like a maniac (energy binging), 'Why am I such a pig?' was also on my list. Physically, it messes with your pump (heart), nervous system, the chemistry related to a sense of joy and fulfillment and so on. Naturally, it lowers your spirits, which can become depressing if it feels long term or all 'round hopeless, with no hope for a solution. Whether you speak with a quantum physicist or a spiritualist, both will agree we're energy in some form. Lower your energy levels enough and it will be almost impossible to feel any sense of connection to life. It's like someone could say 'Do you feel happiness?' with your response perhaps being 'Look, I can barely feel my own body right now'. 'Do you feel excitement?' to which you could say 'I have just enough excitement happening in my cells/body to keep me alive and that's about it'. Once your cells become more active, more excited, through various forms of energy input (energy restoration through sleep being just one) you can start to feel the buzz.

Seeing you've now adopted the identity of 'brilliant detective', have you looked into other ways of turning up the volume on your energy levels? Seeing our cells are hydro powered to a significant degree, filtered water is an absolute ripper. The least amount of toxins we're putting in the better, as certain things contained in non filtered water can interfere with how the body's naturally meant to work.

I'm so excited for you as you step foot on the path of reclaiming your energy and discovering more about yourself. Don't settle for feeling like your old self. Consider Googling 'What is vibrational energy' and/or 'How to make your cells vibrate faster'. By the way 'Becoming Supernatural' by Joe Dispenza is an amazing read.

🙂

[white knight]

Hi, welcome

You are right. Poor sleep can be debilitating. I worked in security doing shift work and could never stay awake. I then started my own company and drove 80,000km a year and often fell asleep while driving. Terrible period.

I covered this topic in a thread that you might like to read.

Cheers.

https://www.beyondblue.org.au/get-support/online-forums/staying-well/a-good-nights-deep-sleep---slee...

TonyWK

[OSAMay]

Thank you Tony, I will have a read.

[OSAMay]

Thank you for your lovely post, and I understand about the negative talk we give ourselves. It’s so debilitating. And a lesson I’ve learned from all this is if I feel something’s wrong, don’t let my doctor sweep it under the carpet. I am looking forward to getting well and will definitely have a read of the books you mentioned, thank you, good luck! One day at a time. 🌹🙏