NE Valley Times

• Approximately 10 million Americans experience seasonal depression, also known as seasonal affective disorder, each year.

• Chronic sinus problems can also increase the likelihood of experiencing depression.

• Depression caused by chronic sinusitis can be treated by addressing the sinus problems.  

With millions of Americans experiencing seasonal affective disorder (SAD) during the winter, sinus specialists say that chronic sinus problems during the season can increase a person’s risk of suffering from depression.

It all comes down to not breathing well, which ultimately can disrupt sleep, and that lack of sleep can crush one’s overall mood.

“We become sleep-deprived, even though we might spend six to eight hours in bed every night and think that we get a good night's sleep,” Dr. Franklyn Gergits of the Sinus & Allergy Wellness Center of North Scottsdale told NE Valley Times. “In reality, if the nasal breathing is not enhanced and maximized, we might go into different states of of hypoxia or oxygen deprivation. This might have a negative impact in our bodies in multiple different areas, but especially in how we feel on a day-to-day basis.”

SAD, sinus problems and depression are often interrelated.

“Depression is one of those symptoms that might occur when chronic inflammatory changes are taking place inside the sinuses and affecting our quality of sleep,” Gergits said. “Some patients are on multiple medical therapies for depression or anxiety. In reality, it might come from a medical condition affecting the nose and sinuses."

SAD manifests itself through symptoms such as sadness, sluggishness and weight changes, according to a report from Boston University. SAD typically occurs during the winter because there is less sunlight near the winter solstice. The disorder is more likely to affect women than men, and treatments vary from light therapy to prescriptions for antidepressants. 

Studies have found that people with chronic sinusitis could be more likely to suffer from depression and anxiety, Physician's Weekly reported. One study compared a group of 16,224 people who were treated for chronic sinusitis with a group of 32,448 "similar people" who did not have sinus problems. The study found that over the next 11 years, the sinusitis sufferers were more than 50% more likely to develop depression or anxiety. 

A report from Houston Advanced Nose and Sinus agrees, finding that as many as 25% of people with chronic sinusitis also experience depression, along with more familiar sinus infection symptoms such as headaches, facial pain, a cough and nasal discharge. 

If you suffer from depression that is caused by chronic sinusitis, you should know that the sinus troubles can be treated through medication or a surgery like balloon sinuplasty. 

To get an idea of whether you could benefit from medical intervention for sinus problems or allergies, take this Sinus Self-Assessment Quiz.