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A new study examined how deployment affects the mental health of the wives of U.S. Army soldiers. The results were published yesterday in the New England Journal of Medicine.
The study involved 250,626 wives of active-duty U.S. Army soldiers. Their electronic medical records from 2003 to 2006 were analyzed.
Results were compared according to the deployment status of their husbands. Length of deployment also was considered. Deployments included both Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.
Adjusted results show that the wives of deployed soldiers had more sleep problems than the wives of soldiers who were not deployed. They also had more cases of depression and anxiety.
They had 11.6 excess cases of sleep disorders per 1,000 wives when the deployment lasted up to 11 months. This rate increased to 23.5 excess cases when their husband was deployed for more than 11 months.
“This study confirms what many people have long suspected,” lead author Alyssa Mansfield, PhD, said in a news release. “It provides compelling evidence that Army spouses are feeling the impact of recent deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. The result is more depression, more stress, more sleepless nights.”The authors noted that current warfare in Iraq and Afghanistan differs greatly from other recent conflicts involving the U.S. Both operations have involved sustained ground combat. They also have been met by strong insurgent attacks.
As a result the wives of deployed soldiers may fear for the safety of their loved ones. At the same time they face the stress of maintaining a household and caring for children alone.
The authors also suggested that the results may underestimate the severity of the problem. In the military seeking care for mental health concerns may involve a stigma. So some spouses may avoid seeking care.
“The majority of active-duty soldiers are married, so we need to pay attention to the needs of their families,” said Mansfield.
Get help for a sleep problem at an AASM-accredited sleep center near you.
Image courtesy of the U.S. Army
It certainly doesn’t involve as much drama as being one of the “Real Housewives of Atlanta.” But being a wife of a man with obstructive sleep apnea can be distressing.
A new study examined the sleep of 17 OSA wives; they were compared with 17 wives of healthy sleepers. Results were controlled for age and menopausal status.
Data analysis shows that OSA wives had lower sleep quality. There was an increase in their time awake during the night.
They also spent more time in “stage 1 sleep;” during this stage of a sleep cycle, sleep is very light and can be easily disrupted. These sleep parameters had a substantial correlation with tiredness.
Results also show that OSA wives had higher distress scores than controls. And they had higher scores on the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire. Sleep parameters were moderately correlated with pain and distress.
In February the Sleep Education Blog reported that there is hope for sleep apnea wives. Studies show that CPAP therapy can treat sleep apnea and benefit the marriage.
Wives also may play an important role in their husband’s CPAP success. A 2008 study showed that husbands were more likely to maintain regular CPAP use over five months when sharing the bed with their wife.
Learn more about sleep apnea and the bed partner on SleepEducation.com.
When obstructive sleep apnea invades the bedroom, no one sleeps well. A person who has severe sleep apnea may briefly wake up more than 30 times an hour. The loud snoring and gasping sounds also disturb the bed partner’s sleep.
The sleep problems can be a source of conflict in a marriage. Often the bed partner chooses to sleep in a separate room
The best treatment for sleep apnea is CPAP therapy. A new study shows that CPAP also may be good for a marriage. Results show that marital conflict decreases after three months of CPAP use.
An earlier study found that CPAP also improves the bed partner’s quality of life. Daytime sleepiness decreases. There are fewer role limitations due to physical problems. Social functioning and mental health improves.
A small study in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine in 2008 linked the marriage bed to CPAP. It found that wives may play an important role in their husband’s CPAP success.
Husbands were more likely to maintain regular CPAP use over five months when sharing the bed with their wife. These men used CPAP at least four hours per night 74 percent of the time.
In contrast, husbands used CPAP much less when their wife slept in a separate room. These men used CPAP at least four hours per night only 43 percent of the time.
Learn more about sleep apnea and bed partners here.
A new study examined how deployment affects the mental health of the wives of U.S. Army soldiers. The results were published yesterday in the New England Journal of Medicine.
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