Sleep apnea may not be a commonly known term, but its a sleeping disorder that many people suffer from. In sleep apnea, affected individuals suffer from shallow breathing, with regular pauses in their sleep that last approximately ten to twenty seconds or even more. Such pauses can occur as frequently as thirty times in an hour.
Sleep Apnea and Mood Swings
Mood swings are sure to occur more frequently when one is suffering from sleep apnea and the disorder hasnt yet been diagnosed.
Sleep apnea, after all, will prevent your body from being recharged and feeling refreshed while youre at asleep. You may not know this when you wake up, but your body knows it and mood swings will be a natural result.
Even when sleep apnea has been diagnosed, this cannot completely guarantee that your mood swings will stop. First and foremost, your condition might have been undiagnosed for so long that your mood swings has become an inevitable part of your personality. If this is the case, youll need professional help to remove it from your daily routine.
The mood swings may not have been caused by sleep apnea at all. Again, youll need help from a professional to determine whether your medical condition is the underlying cause or not.
Symptoms of Sleep Deprivation Caused by Sleep Apnea
Mood swings are not the only symptoms of sleep apnea. Other symptoms may occur, and these symptoms may also cause or aggravate mood swings.
Depression
Although you wont immediately suffer from serious bouts of depression, there will be times that youll feel more depressed than usual. This can result to mood swings if you become frustrated by your inability to pinpoint the cause of your depression.
Low Emotional Coping Abilities
We are faced by challenges everyday and many of these challenges require us to be emotionally resilient one way or another. Emotional resilience, however, is hard to achieve when your mind and body are tired due to sleep deprivation. Again, if you become surprised and disappointed by your sudden inability to cope emotionally, this could cause you to suffer from mood swings.
Poor Memory Recall
Memory recall may be an inborn talent or an acquired skill. Either way, youll be hard pressed to remember things if you are suffering, especially unknowingly, from sleep apnea. Consequently, if you find yourself frustrated by this then youll probably start suffering from mood swings again.
Weight Gain
People suffering from sleep apnea are usually unable to benefit from regular exercise and moderate eating. Weight gain will naturally be the consequence and for image-conscious people, this can be reason enough to suffer from mood swings.
Accidents and Trauma
If you have recently suffered from an accident or any traumatic event, this may be the cause of your mood swings and not sleep apnea. In fact, sleep apnea may also be one of the results of such events.
Complications Caused by Sleep Apnea and Mood Swings
If you do not seek treatment immediately, sleep apnea and mood swings can lead to serious complications. Excessive sleep deprivation can make you nod off at the most inopportune times and make driving hazardous. Lack of sleep will also make you unhealthy and more vulnerable to various sicknesses. Last but not the least, sleep apnea and mood swings will not make you happy and good at work two important qualities that every ideal employee has.