A good night’s sleep may do more than leave you feeling refreshed the next morning. It may improve asthma control. Researchers at National Jewish Health in Denver, Colorado, recently discovered that sleep and mood disorders, such as insomnia, depression and obstructive sleep apnea, in people who have asthma can negatively impact the common respiratory condition. The study was recently published in the Journal of Asthma.
“Asthma control, sleep quality and mood are all critical factors in affecting an individual’s overall quality of life, and our study suggests a strong relationship among all three areas,” said Michael Wechsler, MD, MMSc, director of the asthma program at National Jewish Health and senior author of the paper. “Individuals with asthma should be regularly screened for sleep quality as well as for co-existing mood disorder.”
Researchers reviewed the charts of 659 adult patients enrolled in a long-term study at National Jewish Health. Asthma patients were evaluated based on the presence of concurrent obstructive sleep disorder, mood disorders, asthma exacerbation frequency and asthma control test scores (ACT). The study noted a significant increase in the presence of mood disorders among people with asthma and insomnia, compared to those who did not have a sleep disorder.
For people who have difficulty controlling their asthma symptoms, poor sleep quality is often linked to the respiratory condition. Insomnia also frequently overlaps with depression. Previous research has examined the relationship between sleep issues and asthma control. However, the interaction between these conditions and mood disorders had not been well studied.
Researchers found that patients with insomnia were more likely to have a concurrent diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea as well as a diagnosis of depression or anxiety. There was also a higher average of asthma exacerbations per year in patients with insomnia compared to those without the sleep disorder.
“It is important for us as physicians to treat asthma comorbidities like sleep and mood disorders similarly to what we do with other conditions that impact asthma management, such as reflux, sinus disease and vocal cord dysfunction,” Dr. Wechsler said.
According to researchers, a better understanding of the interactions between asthma, sleep and depression may lead to guidelines for screening and management of sleep and mental health disorders in patients with asthma.
