Its effects go beyond our physical health, but also our mental functioning, emotional well-being and cognitive performance. As such, experiencing sleep disturbances can be an extremely incapacitating. Disturbances in both quality and quantity of sleep can result in significant unfavourable impacts.
Insomnia
One of the more common sleep-related issues is insomnia. Insomnia is characterised by difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep throughout the night, affecting both the quality and quantity of sleep.
Impacts of Insomnia
- Daytime fatigue
- Mood disturbances
- Decreased concentration
- All of which can lead to impaired performance in their personal and professional lives
The state of an individual’s mental health is highly intertwined with insomnia, with each influencing the other in a bidirectional manner. Namely, insomnia can contribute to the development or exacerbation of mental health issues while on the other hand, mental health conditions such as heightened levels of stress, worry and rumination can significantly reduce healthy sleep patterns.
Coping with Sleep-Related Issues
While there are pharmaceutical treatments to improve an individual’s insomnia, it is normal to have concerns with reliance on these substances. To further supplement the traditional pharmaceutical approach, effective treatment for insomnia often involves a comprehensive approach that targets both sleep and mental health.
As part of psychoeducation, sleep hygiene is typically a part of intervention that promotes healthy sleep habits and tackles controllable factors that individuals can make practical changes to.
Given the interplay between insomnia and mental health, a derivative of cognitive-behavioural therapy, known as cognitive-behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I), is also a common intervention that practitioners utilise. Other forms of counselling approaches may also be helpful in addressing underlying mental health concerns.
Recognising how our sleep can impact our everyday lives can make a notable difference in how we feel, both physically and emotionally. Beyond fretting over the “7 hours of uninterrupted rest” that is said to be what we require everyday, perhaps we can start looking inwards and we might gain some insights on why we may not feel rested on a daily basis.
