Psycho-Babble Medication Thread 1117778

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Oxygen when sleeping eases depression

Posted by Hugh on December 15, 2021, at 10:15:56

https://www.timesofisrael.com/oxygen-when-sleeping-eases-depression-for-1-in-3-patients-in-small-israeli-study/

Breathing high rates of oxygen while sleeping can significantly reduce depression, a preliminary Israeli study has suggested.

Researchers from Ben Gurion University's Faculty of Health Sciences recruited 55 depressed adults and got them to breathe from special tubes as they slept, every night for a month. Around half received regular air, which contains 21 percent oxygen, while the others received air with 35% oxygen content.

"Among patients in the control group, very few achieved even minimal improvement in symptoms of depression, but in the other group, 30% to 40% made notable improvements," Dr. Abed N. Azab, the lead researcher in the peer-reviewed study, told The Times of Israel.

At the start of the month-long experiment, participants averaged 15 on the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression, classified as moderate depression. Scores among the control group hardly changed during the experiment, but the average score among those who received oxygen steadily dropped, ending at around 10, which reflects a jump from moderate to mild depression.

Azab stressed that his research focused on regular oxygen, which is sourced easily and cheaply yet hasn't been widely explored for depression, as opposed to special hyperbaric oxygen chambers, which are expensive and in scarce supply. "Oxygen is known to be very safe, and is also affordable," he said.

He said that symptoms were assessed with standard criteria used by psychologists and psychiatrists, including the questionnaire-based Hamilton scale.

Participants in the experiment, all of whom were diagnosed with depression, had canisters and special tubes installed in their bedrooms for use at night. The study was double blind to account for the placebo effect.

"We randomly divided the participants to those who received oxygen-enriched air and those who received normal air," Azab explained. "Neither the participants nor the researcher on the ground knew who was getting what, and they received the treatment for seven to eight hours a night in their homes for a month.

"We saw a clear difference between those who received regular air and those who received the oxygen. Among those who received oxygen, we even had people ask at the end of the study to keep the machines at home because they helped -- something we just didn't see in the control group," he said.

Azab said his team doesn't know how the oxygen impacts symptoms of depression, but is hoping to answer that question through further research, and is also planning a larger-scale study to further explore the potential of oxygen.

"This was a small study but I hope we can replicate these results in a larger sample," he added. "If this becomes a routine intervention, it could be an inexpensive way of treating depression and even -- given that some depressed people commit suicide -- save lives."

 

Re: Oxygen when sleeping eases depression

Posted by Lamdage22 on December 15, 2021, at 13:45:53

In reply to Oxygen when sleeping eases depression, posted by Hugh on December 15, 2021, at 10:15:56

I guess it helps to get fresh air in your bedroom before you go to sleep. The two side effects of "oxygen therapy" I can think of are cost and inconvenience.

 

Re: Oxygen when sleeping eases depression » Hugh

Posted by Jay2112 on December 15, 2021, at 19:07:21

In reply to Oxygen when sleeping eases depression, posted by Hugh on December 15, 2021, at 10:15:56

> https://www.timesofisrael.com/oxygen-when-sleeping-eases-depression-for-1-in-3-patients-in-small-israeli-study/
> > Researchers from Ben Gurion University's Faculty of Health Sciences recruited 55 depressed adults and got them to breathe from special tubes as they slept, every night for a month. Around half received regular air, which contains 21 percent oxygen, while the others received air with 35% oxygen content.
>

I can concur...When I was in the hospital for 3 weeks, after pneumonia and a collapsed lung (non-COVID), I was on oxygen every night, and I felt amazing everyday! Then I came home, and went right back down. BUT, I am getting a CPAP machine, and they do facilitate oxygen levels (even if they don't use forced oxygen). See, all of us do stop breathing in the night. CPAP keeps the air flowing, increasing oxygen intake. My doctor explained it to me.

Jay :)

 

Re: Oxygen when sleeping eases depression

Posted by Lamdage22 on December 16, 2021, at 4:11:00

In reply to Re: Oxygen when sleeping eases depression » Hugh, posted by Jay2112 on December 15, 2021, at 19:07:21

Maybe it helps those with sleep apnea? They said one in three.

 

Re: Oxygen when sleeping eases depression » Jay2112

Posted by Hugh on December 17, 2021, at 14:00:09

In reply to Re: Oxygen when sleeping eases depression » Hugh, posted by Jay2112 on December 15, 2021, at 19:07:21

> I can concur...When I was in the hospital for 3 weeks, after pneumonia and a collapsed lung (non-COVID), I was on oxygen every night, and I felt amazing everyday! Then I came home, and went right back down. BUT, I am getting a CPAP machine, and they do facilitate oxygen levels (even if they don't use forced oxygen). See, all of us do stop breathing in the night. CPAP keeps the air flowing, increasing oxygen intake. My doctor explained it to me.
>
> Jay :)

I have a friend who was depressed for years, had tried a couple antidepressants, without success, and finally, at his wife's insistence, went to a sleep lab, where he was diagnosed with severe sleep apnea. He started using a CPAP, and his depression disappeared overnight.

 

Re: Oxygen when sleeping eases depression » Lamdage22

Posted by Hugh on December 17, 2021, at 14:03:01

In reply to Re: Oxygen when sleeping eases depression, posted by Lamdage22 on December 15, 2021, at 13:45:53

> The two side effects of "oxygen therapy" I can think of are cost and inconvenience.

It costs $20 to refill an oxygen tank. If used 7-8 hours every night, this will last for about 20 days, so this would cost about $1 per day.

 

Re: Oxygen when sleeping eases depression » Jay2112

Posted by alchemy on December 30, 2021, at 20:57:40

In reply to Re: Oxygen when sleeping eases depression » Hugh, posted by Jay2112 on December 15, 2021, at 19:07:21

Let us know if the CPAP helped. I had one for a while but I don't recall that it helped my mood.


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