http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20050905...health_sleep_dc

Excessively sleepy? Could be more than poor sleep Mon Sep 5,10:31 AM ET



Doctors commonly view excessive daytime sleepiness as a cardinal sign of disturbed or inadequate sleep. But a new study suggests it could also signal depression or even diabetes, regardless of whether an individual doesn't sleep well.

Among a random sample of 16,500 men and women ranging in age from 20 to 100 years old from central Pennsylvania, 8.7 percent had excessive daytime sleepiness.

Researchers, who considered a wide range of possible reasons for why these individuals were excessively sleepy during the daytime, found that excessive daytime sleepiness was more strongly associated with depression and obesity or metabolic factors than with sleep-disordered breathing or sleep disruption.

Depression was by far the most significant risk factor for excessive daytime sleepiness, they report in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.

The likelihood of being excessively sleepy during the daytime was more than three times higher in those who reported they were being treated for depression.

The investigators also observed strong ties between excessive daytime sleepiness and diabetes. Individuals reporting treatment for diabetes were close to two times more likely to report excessive daytime sleepiness than those who were not being treated for diabetes.

Being overweight also increased the likelihood of excessive daytime sleepiness.

Excessive daytime sleepiness was more common in people younger than age 30, a finding that hints at the presence of unmet sleep needs and depression, and in the over-75 crowd, suggesting increasing medical illness and health problems, they explain.

Smoking also emerged as a risk factor for excessive daytime sleepiness, a link that hasn't been shown before. It could be that smokers use the stimulant effect of nicotine to self-treat their daytime drowsiness, the authors suggest.

Sleep apnea -- brief episodes when breathing stops during sleep -- was not a significant player in excessive daytime sleepiness. This is consistent with prior studies that have reported only weak associations between sleep apnea and excessive daytime sleepiness.

The authors conclude that adults plagued by excessive daytime sleepiness should be thoroughly evaluated for depression and diabetes, regardless of whether or not sleep-disordered breathing is present.

SOURCE: The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, August 2005.

As they say -- been there done that. Before low carbing I had no energy and was diagnosed with anxiety / depression. They would find a link with other Syndrome X symptoms also -- if they would just ask us!

Now people tell me I don't rest enough and the anxiety is gone. One simple change is all it takes.

I used to take naps every weekend day. Meetings after lunch at work were hard to follow as I was always sleepy.

Within weeks of starting low-carb eating, my afternoon sleepiness disappeared.

The problem with doing health studies on a population that almost all eat equivalent high-carb diets is that any dietary causes are masked.

I bet what they sometimes diagnose as depression is actually sub-clinical hypothyroidism. I can't tell you the number of times I've heard of people going to their doctor and getting handed a prescription for anti-depressants only to find out later it was hypothyroid their physician either didn't want to address or didn't know how to diagnose.

Me too.

I was chronically tired before and much more depressed. I could sleep 12 hours and still feel tired. Now, I need very little sleep now and my emotional state is much better. I can perform reasonably well on 5 or 6 hours (but around 8 is ideal). Tiredness doesn't bother me like it did, it's hard to explain the difference. This change happened before I lost weight so I don't think it's entirely due to thinness. Emotionally I am much better too. My moods are very sensitive to both how tired I am, and how well controlled my blood sugar is. I feel phenomenally good emotionally when eating so that I never feel sugar instability (which is hard to do in maintenance for me ... too easy to justify temptations and it's sometimes hard to predict what will do it... only being very strict with my diet works with near complete certainty).

I found this to be kind of disturbing since I think doctors way over diagnose depression and anxiety in females. I had problems sleeping since I was kid. Dozed off at least a dozen times in my car, once crashing into the center divider on the freeway and slept through at least half of every movie I ever saw. I only recently found out who the heck Rosebud is! I was always blown off by doctors and given a Paxil prescription. Finally I complained to the right doctor got a sleep study, breathing problems.

I know that there is a sugar connection as well. Between the indigestion, adrenaline rushes, tachycardia I didn't function well asleep or awake. I did a carbup when I had my sleep study to be sure I had a horrible night. I have rem sleep disorder and my breathing problems are worsened with the carbs.

I also couldn't sleep when my thyroid was low.

My sleep doctor said that there is an endocrine connection that insulin resistance is increased by sleep deprivation. So why not vice versa as well?

I ate a bit too many refined carbs yesterday in one meal. An hour later after eating, I couldn't keep my eyes open and had to take a nap. I felt like I was drugged! I was talking to my mom on phone and I was so irritated because she wouldn't let me get off the phone so I could nap haha. This is really amazing since normally it takes me awhile to fall asleep and I rarely ever nap. I think I'll use carbs next time I need to fall asleep asap! J/K!

I have "excessive sleepiness" after eating lunch. Not every day though; it's tough to predict. And I get it after eating a low-carb lunch! It is clearly related to the food, but I don't know what's going on.