|
Basic InformationMore InformationA Discussion of Psychotherapy A Discussion of Self HatredAging and DepressionAn Interview with Daniel Strunk, Ph.D., on Cognitive Therapy for DepressionAntidepressants No Better Than Placebo Says A New Study, But It's Really More Complicated Than That... Blunt InstrumentsBrain Neuroplasticity and Treatment Resistant DepressionComing Out of the Depression ClosetCosmo Magic to Cyclothymic: Highs, Lows and States of FlowDepression and CancerDepression and DiabetesDepression and Heart DiseaseDepression and HIV/AIDSDepression and ParkinsonsDepression and Relationships: The Good News About Feeling BadDepression and StrokeDepression and the Elusiveness of Pleasure Depression and WomenDepression, ADHD, Psychotherapy and MedicationDepression, Anxiety and PetsDepression? Stress? How Sweet they Are? A Dissertation on Dark ChocolateDo You Like Me? Setting LimitsDysthymic Disorder SymptomsElliott Smith and the gift of Vulnerability MusicExistential Crisis?Feeling Good, It's Not Just In the BrainGoing Postal: The Road to Depression and SalvationGuest Editorial: Celeb Feud Brought Up Critical IssuesHelping Children Understand and Cope with Parental DepressionListening to Readers on Prozac, Depression & the Medical System: Part IListening to Readers on Prozac, Depression & the Medical System: Part IIMajor Depression SymptomsMen and DepressionMen, Face It, There is Male Post Partum DepressionNational Depression Screening Day, Thursday October 8, 2009Of Troubled Marriages, Sexual Compulsions and DepressionOlder Adults: Depression and Suicide FactsOrganizationsPost Partum Adoption DepressionPost Partum Depression and The Importance of SleepPsychological Impact of Protracted UnemploymentReader Feedback on the Depression SeriesRunning On FiftyScore Another One for Cognitive TherapySelf CompassionSensory Defensiveness or Sensory OverloadSt. John's Wort FAQStudents and College, A Stressful Time of Life: Parents and Students BewareSurgery, Depression, and AnxietySymptoms of Depressive DisordersThe Best Anti Depressant is Free!The Biochemical - Psychosexual Revolution: Getting Up and Close while Being Down and OutThe Existential Crisis, Depression, Anxiety and MortalityThe Five SensesThe Liberating and Entangling Webs of Technology, Depression and ProzacThe Long Term Effects of BullyingThe Physical Symptoms of DepressionTop Twelve Tips for Beating (Mostly) Moderate Chronic Clinical DepressionTreatmentTreatment 1 of 2Treatment 2 of 2Unmasking Mental IllnessWebsitesWhat about the "milder" depression: Dysthymic disorder?Why People Might Use Anxiety to Avoid Depression: Part 2Why People Might Use Anxiety to Avoid Depression: What We Can Learn From a Wartime ExperienceWise Counsel Interview Transcript: An Interview with James Gordon MD on Mind Body Medicine and His Book 'Unstuck'Wise Counsel Interview Transcript: An Interview with with Ronald Dworkin, MD, Ph.D. on Artificial HappinessWoe Is Me, The Self Fulfilling Prophecy TestsLatest NewsReview: Exercise Indeed Beneficial for Major DepressionAdult Children of Substance Abusers More Prone to DepressionDepression May Boost Stroke Risk in Middle-Aged Women, TooAnti-Gay Bullying Tied to Teen Depression, SuicideDaily Gene Rhythms May Be Off in Depressed PeopleDepression Overdiagnosed, Overtreated in the CommunitySome Antidepressants May Raise Risk for Gastro InfectionAntidepressants May Hasten Bypass Recovery, Study FindsSome Antidepressants Linked to Bleeding Risk With SurgeryFish Oil Has No Effect on Depression in PregnancyFormer College Athletes Don't Have Increased Depression RiskCollege Sports Could Raise Players' Risk for Depression, Study FindsAnother Danger of Depression?Study: Antidepressant Use in Pregnancy May Not Affect Baby's GrowthAnxiety, Depression May Triple Risk of Death for Heart Patients: StudyAbout 14 Percent of Moms Face Postpartum DepressionChildhood Depression May Be Tied to Later Heart Risk: StudySmall Benefit of Adjunctive Antipsychotics for DepressionVision Loss, Depression May Be Linked, Study FindsImproving Eating Habits Cuts Depression in DementiaHealth Tip: When Grief Becomes DepressionDepressed Patients May Gain From Self-Help Books, WebsitesDepression Affects Efficacy of Herpes Zoster VaccineExercise May Stave Off Depression in Severely ObeseMilitary Women Exposed to Combat After Childbirth Face DepressionUntreated Depression May Cut Shingles Vaccine EffectivenessECT + SSRI Better for Major Depression Than Either AloneMaternal Depression, Violence at Home May Raise Child's ADHD RiskAntidepressants Celexa, Lexapro Tied to Irregular Heartbeat: StudyHealth Tip: Avoid the Winter BluesDepressive Symptoms Tied to Doubled Risk for Crohn'sDepressed Stroke Survivors May Face Higher Early Death RiskHealth Tip: You May Have Seasonal Affective DisorderDiet Drinks Tied to Depression Risk in Older Adults: StudyData Suggest Depression Doesn't Precede Impaired CognitionLow Insulin Secretion Tied to Depressive Symptoms in WomenWinter Depression May Require Treatment PlanBlood Protein Linked to Depression, Study FindsStress, Depression Linked to Raised Stroke Risk in SeniorsNovel GLYX-13 Antidepressant Compound Holds PromiseExperimental Antidepressant Appears Quick-Acting, SafeEmerging Risk Factors ID'd for Postpartum DepressionWhen Antidepressants Don't Work, Give Counseling a TryFDA Pulls One Generic Form of Wellbutrin Off the MarketDepression a Key Factor in Health of Parkinson's Patients: StudyStudy Assesses Bidirectional Link for Diabetes, DepressionAberrant Light Schedules Could Directly Impair Mood, LearningStudy Reveals Gender Gap in Spotting DepressionBright Light at Night Could Up Depression Risk, Mouse Study SuggestsStudy: Rheumatoid Arthritis Plus Depression May Be Deadly Links |
| |
Obesity, Depression Blamed for Daytime Sleepiness 'Epidemic'
by By Denise Mann
HealthDay Reporter
Updated: Jun 13th 2012
WEDNESDAY, June 13 (HealthDay News) -- Obesity has been linked to a host of health problems including heart disease, diabetes and certain cancers, and now new research adds excessive daytime sleepiness to this list.
Well-publicized risks associated with excessive daytime sleepiness among adults include accidents caused by drowsy driving and workplace injuries.
The new, related studies found that the main drivers of daytime sleepiness are obesity and depression. The findings are scheduled to be presented Wednesday at the Associated Professional Sleep Societies annual meeting, in Boston.
"The 'epidemic' of sleepiness parallels an 'epidemic' of obesity and psychosocial stress," study author Dr. Alexandros Vgontzas, of Penn State Hershey Sleep Research & Treatment Center, said in a meeting news release. "Weight loss, depression and sleep disorders should be our priorities in terms of preventing the medical complications and public safety hazards associated with this excessive sleepiness."
Two studies included the same group of 1,741 adults. Of these, 1,173 did not have excessive daytime sleepiness when the study began and 222 did. Depression and obesity were the main risk factors for "new-onset" excessive sleepiness after 7.5 years of follow-up. Weight gain was the top predictor for persistent daytime sleepiness during the same time frame. The rate of new-onset excessive sleepiness was 8 percent, and the rate of persistent daytime sleepiness was 38 percent When sleepy individuals lost weight, they were less tired during the day.
The findings in the first two studies were backed by a study of 103 healthy volunteers, which took place over four nights in a sleep laboratory. It also pointed to obesity and depression as risks for sleepiness, the researchers report.
Dr. Scott Kahan, director of the National Center for Weight and Wellness in Washington, D.C., said that the link between obesity and sleep is a complex one. "This study adds further weight to the fact that it is likely bi-directional." This means that obesity could be the chicken or the egg. "Obesity and weight gain affect sleep, and poor sleep affects weight from a physiological and behavioral perspective," he said. For example, "when you are exhausted, it's hard to care about whether you eat a carrot or a Ho Ho," he said.
People who are overweight or obese are also at higher risk for sleep apnea, a condition marked by pauses in breathing during sleep. This can result in excessive daytime sleepiness. But there is more to the connection between sleepiness and obesity than sleep apnea alone, said Dr. Michael Breus, a sleep expert based in Norfolk, Va. "There are more sleepy people in the world than cases of sleep apnea," he noted.
"We have to slim down as a nation," he said. "One of the effects will be a relief of excessive daytime tiredness and a mild decrease in depression." Sleep problems and depression are also inextricably linked, he said: "When we put people with depression and insomnia on an antidepressant, the insomnia gets better as does their depression, and then you are not as sleepy during the day."
Dr. David Kuhlmann, medical director of sleep medicine at Bothwell Regional Health Center in Sedalia, Mo., agreed. "Weight loss should improve the level of daytime sleepiness and this study would support that," he said.
Because this research was presented at a medical meeting, the data and conclusions should be viewed as preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.
More information
What is excessive daytime sleepiness? Find out at the National Sleep Foundation.
This article: Copyright © 2012 HealthDay. All rights reserved. |
