Sleep Problems

The amount of sleep we need varies and most people at some point will have difficulty sleeping. Sleep difficulties becomes a problem if it is recurrent, night after night of poor sleep. The quality of our sleep can be an indicator of our mental health and overall wellbeing. Sleep problems can contribute to health declines, both physical and psychological.

The most obvious are physical problems. Feeling tired, sluggish and struggling to stay awake the next day. You might find yourself relying on coffee to get you through the day.

​You might be more irritable or on edge. Poor sleep the night before might make you respond to something in a way you shouldn’t, become angry or lash out. Poor sleep can affect how you interact with others. When we are sleep deprived, irritable or angry we are less kind to those around us.

​Students can notice that their memory isn’t as sharp. People who are sleep deprived struggle to concentrate which affects their ability to drive, operate machinery and multi-task. Lack of sleep can effect your hormones, you might find that you gain more weight or that your appetite increases.

• ​Sometimes the psychiatric medication we take can impact our sleep. Antidepressants that are taken in the morning can be activating and ADHD medication can keep us awake. Also, stopping night time psychiatric medication can make our sleep worse. 
• If we are paranoid we might be fearful of going to sleep at night, worrying about what might happen when we are asleep. If we are anxious, our overthinking overactive minds can stop us from going to sleep. We can also wake up early, unable to get back to sleep because we have too many thoughts circling aroundin our mind.
• Depression can make us sleep more or sleep less. Often people who are depressed struggle with motivation. They spend more time awake, lying in bed which in turn affects the quality of their sleep.

• Insomnias – difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep​
• Hypersomnias – excessive sleepiness, causing people to fall asleep at inconvenient times.
• Sleep-related breathing disorders – these are sleep disorders which are related to your breathing.
• Circadian rhythm related sleep-wake disorders – when the time of day the person sleeps is out on sync with their surrounds.
• Sleep movement disorder – these are conditions that cause movement difficulties that interfere with sleep

Treatment starts by seeing a health professional and being diagnosed. Your GP is a good first person to speak to about your sleep difficulties. Sleep troubles are a common occurrence. Your doctor will have experience managing insomnia and other sleep difficulties.

You can be referred by your GP to another health professional for more specialised care. Often respiratory doctors who have an interest in sleep are linked with sleep clinics. A sleep clinic uses specialised equipment to monitor your sleep overnight. With advances in technology, now you can take that equipment home to have on you whilst you sleep at home. 

Cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT – I) is an umbrella term for an evidence based approach to help with sleep. It is often a first line recommendation to tackle insomnia. The cognitive part help you to recognise beliefs you have about sleep that are getting in the way and then challenge them. Behavioural strategies that form part of CBT – I include, stimulus control therapy, sleep restriction and progressive muscle relaxation. 

Medications are sometimes prescribed short term for severe sleep problems.

 

 

If you would like to see a psychologist or psychiatrist regarding poor sleep. Speak with your GP about getting a referral. You can also contact our helpful support team for more information and an appointment.