We feel our best after a good night’s sleep — on our game, alert
and more likely to be in a good mood. The same holds true for
people struggling with mental illnesses. “The relationship
between sleep and psychiatric conditions is strong,” said Joyce
Davidson, MD, a psychiatrist with The Menninger Clinic's Compass
Program for Young Adults in Houston. She says lack of sleep
raises levels of stress hormones in the brain and exacerbates
existing psychiatric problems such as depression and anxiety.
“Getting enough sleep can make a world of difference in a
patient’s mental health.” A new study presented in June at the
Associated Professional Sleep Societies in Boston backs
Davidson’s experience. The study found that treating obstructive
sleep apnea, a common sleep disorder, may ease the symptoms of
depression in patients with the disorder. Patients in the study
treated with continuous positive airway pressure slept better
and felt better. is common in people who have sleep apnea.
People with depression were found t