Although some men may think depression and sleep issues are all in their head, they could actually stem from erectile dysfunction.
Erectile dysfunction, depression and sleep disorders
A new study from the University of California, Irvine (UCI) had 124 men who were attending a clinic specializing in men’s health fill out detailed health questionnaires. The men, who had an average age of 54, responded to questions on sleep, urologic conditions (e.g., erectile dysfunction and difficulty passing urine), and mental and physical health.
The men also filled out a questionnaire used to screen men at risk of low male sex hormones and then compared them to the results of lab tests and the men’s medical histories. Nearly half the men scored moderate to severe in the erectile dysfunction questionnaire and 38.6% of the group had mild to severe depression. The questionnaires also revealed that 55.2% of the men showed medium to high risk for sleep apnea plus an additional 18.1% had moderate to severe insomnia.
The researchers found a pattern of links between sleep problems, mood and urologic conditions, such as erectile dysfunction.
Applying the findings to treatment
Although some urologic problems, such as difficulty urinating, ma come and go, other problems—such as erectile dysfunction—often affect a man’s quality of life. It’s just one of the reasons the researchers are encouraging doctors to send men for additional screenings outside their own area of expertise.
As the study author, Arman S. Wallia of the Department of Urology at UCI explains: “Urologists are not specifically trained in sleep medicine or how to manage depression, and therefore should have an appropriate threshold for referral. This underscores the importance of screening for conditions, thereby preventing patients from slipping through the cracks and being able to more accurately identify those in need of further intervention.”
