Truckers News - June 2009
THE BluEs a ccording to WebMD, studies have found that owning a pet relieves depression, reduces blood pressure and triglycerides and improves exercise hab-its. Research even sug-gests having a pet might improve your chances of surviving a heart at-tack by reducing the depression commonly experienced by cardiac patients. Dennis Conant, from Calhoun, Ga., a truck-er for 34 years, believes in the powerful bond be-tween humans and pets. He's been trucking with his Australian Blue-Heel-er, Duke Hondo, for the last two years, and before that he trucked for 15 years with Mr. Lucky, a lab/Rottweil-er mix. Duke helps to keep me calm and stress-free, he says, as much as possible in this job, anyway. I make sure we get out and stretch every few hours, and I am able to talk to him and laugh with him. If traf-fic starts to get to me he somehow knows it and will come lay his head in my lap. It's not just that I love Duke; I need him for the company. If you drive for a compa-ny with a no-pet poli-cy, find a new company! In my opinion, you will live longer and have less stress and depression. I t's widely accepted that depression and sleep apnea are related, but it's unclear whether depression comes before or after sleep apnea. However, most patients successfully treated for sleep apnea report an increase in energy and a feeling of well-being. According to the Journal of Clinical Sleep , patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) who also suffer from depression often find continued positive airway pressure (CPAP) relieves them of symp-toms of depression. Ken Armstrong agrees with these findings. I snored like 10 Kodiak bears, he says. He volunteered for Swift's initial sleep-apnea treatment pro-gram and was issued a CPAP machine. He says the results dramatically changed his life. As soon as I got treatment for sleep apnea, I started feeling better mentally as well as phys-ically. There's no doubt in my mind that sleep apnea and depression are related, Armstrong says. Rains was diagnosed with severe sleep apnea and it was only after sucessful treatment that he felt enough energy to tackle his chronic depression. Olsen says Swift is committed to helping truckers get help for sleep apnea. Mood clearly im-proves when the driver gets a good night's sleep, Olsen says. P ick up the phone and make an appoint-ment with your family doctor if you have any of the warning signs of depression. The brief checkup provided by most DOT examiners is no substitute for a thor-ough physical. Family care physician Ronald D. Rush, CEO of Highway Health Care and clinical director of MedXpress Health Care in Texarkana, Texas, says approximately 30 percent of his patients present with depres-sion. Truckers are real-ly no different from any-one else, he says. Rea-sons for depression and anxiety include genetics and circumstances. Peo-ple with family histories of depression or anxi-ety are much more like-ly to have a problem themselves. Situation-al stressors such as lone-liness, isolation, long hours and lack of sleep are certainly common among truckers. In to-day's tough econom-ic times, factors such as low reimbursements, high fuel costs, lack of medical insurance and job security issues take a toll on trucker mo-rale and pose a risk fac-tor for depression and anxiety. Patients should not be afraid to speak with their doctor on the subject. 9 Pet PrescriPtion 10 see your doctor 11 sleeP solutions www.depression.com http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/ publications/depression/ complete-index.shtml http://mayoclinic.com/health/ depression/DS00175 www.menningerclinic.com http://www.rebeccarust.net/ HeadlightInTrucking.html www.truckstopministries.org http://www.webmd.com/depres-sion/default.htm www.sleepapnea.org Books: , by Daniel G. Amen and Lisa C. Routh , by Richard O'Connor REsouRcEs foR dEpREssion June 2009 TRucKERs nEws 27