A new study suggests that many people who are diagnosed and treated for depression may actually suffer from side effects of a sleeping disorder. Patiemts who were being treated for depression, many on medication, improved or even lost their depression symptoms when they were given treatment to remedy their sleep apnea.

Obstructive sleep apnea, or OSA, occurs in approximately 12 million Americans, two-thirds of them men. The tongue and/or throat muscles block the airway because they relax too much during sleep. The interruptions in breathing can last as long as a minute and occur up to 50 times per hour. The effect is to reduce oxygen level in the blood and interfere with the restorative properties of normal sleep. The condition is treated by using a CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) device, a face mask or nasal adevice that applies a slight air pressure to keep the breathing passages open.

When combined with other ailments, OSA has been implicated as a cause of death in extreme cases. In addition to mimicking depression, it often causes daytime sleepiness and interferes with the ability to concentrate. Not all depression sufferers are candidates for sleep apnea evaluation, but it is something physicians should be aware of.