Snoring your way to depression
[Tuesday, 10 November 2009]

Your snoring could be more than just irritating to your partner, it could be a sign that you suffer from sleep apnoea – and a new study at The Australian National University seek to examine the impact of sleep apnoea on psychological health.


The study – the first of its kind in Australia – will examine the relationship between sleep apnoea and psychological health and wellbeing. It is being conducted by Rizal Abu Bakar, a PhD candidate in the Department of Psychology at ANU and a Sleep Technologist at Canberra Sleep Laboratory.

“Sleep apnoea is a serious and life-threatening condition,” said Mr Abu Bakar. “If you snore, or if someone has told you that you snore, you may suffer from sleep apnoea. It’s a condition that causes you to stop breathing several times an hour during sleep, preventing a restful sleep.”



The condition affects around four per cent of adult males and two per cent of adult females, and more than 90 per cent of people who have it are unaware of their condition. The condition can lead to high blood pressure, diabetes, heart failure, heart attacks or strokes, as well as psychological conditions. At present, the gold standard treatment is Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP)


“It’s not known what predicts the development of depression and other psychological problems in sleep apnoea patients, but this research project will help to pave the way in integrating psychological understandings into the management of sleep apnoea,” he said.

“Sleep apnoea is an insidious process that sneaks up on people, unnoticed and unaware of the effect that it is having. The impact of sleep apnoea on people’s mental health is particularly concerning, and this study will look at whether CPAP can improve the situation.”

Mr Abu Bakar is using National Psychology Week (8-14 November) to call for volunteers to take part in the research project. Participants do not need to have been diagnosed with a sleep disorder.

“As the first study of its kind, the findings will be vital in understanding how to manage sleep apnoea in Australia. I’d be happy to hear from anyone who is interested in participating, whether they have been diagnosed with sleep apnoea, think that they might have sleep apnoea or just snore,” he said.

Members of the public should register their interest by email: rizal.abubakar@anu.edu.au