- Oloo says lack of enough sleep particularly on mental health leads to disorientation accompanied by some form of anxiety.
- It might also be accompanied by a heightened state of being, which leaves individuals constantly alert but not in a nice way.
Image: FILE
Have you found yourself sleeping for a few hours or lacking quality sleep? If yes, have you noticed any changes physically, emotionally and mentally?
In the hustle and bustle of life, sleep often feels like a luxury we cannot afford. Yet, as we chase deadlines and juggle commitments, we might be overlooking a crucial component of our health.
Sleep is not merely a period of rest. It is a vital process that profoundly influences every aspect of our physical and mental well-being.
Exploring how sleep affects our health reveals that getting quality rest is not just a simple necessity but a cornerstone of a thriving, balanced life.
IntraPersonal Health psychologist Evans Oloo says lack of enough sleep particularly on mental health leads to disorientation accompanied by some form of anxiety.
It might also be accompanied by a heightened state of being, which leaves individuals in constantly alert but not in a nice way.
Oloo says people who lack sleep for a long period tend to become hyper because sleep allows flight-fight response to be brought down to normal percentages.
He explains that during the day when we are awake then the central nervous system is quite alert and responds to challenges.
However, that response is supposed to be automatically regulated by the brain to come down once an activity or danger has passed.
"Sleep helps in doing that a lot. So when an individual lacks sleep, they remain in a perpetual state of alertness. The same thing also happens in terms of cleaning up the brain," he says.
The doctor states that sleep reorganises the functions of the brain and cleans up any residue impact that may have taken place in the day.
"That is why when we lack sleep we may suffer anxiety and consistence hypervigilance," he says.
Now, if you continue having poor sleeping habits for the long term - total lack of sleep- you risk having brief psychosis or nervous breakdown.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, psychosis is a collection of symptoms that happen when a person has trouble telling the difference between what is real and what is not.
It is characterised by hallucinations and delusions - false beliefs that someone holds onto very strongly, even when others do not believe them or there is plenty of evidence that a belief is not true.
A nervous breakdown is a period of mental illness resulting from severe depression, stress, or anxiety.
Oloo says this happens when someone has unresolved problems and they are overthinking or they have taken substances making them unable to sleep.
He warns that the long-term in question does not necessarily mean a week but rather a few days - three to four days.
Oloo adds that sleeping for a short period is not necessarily a problem.
"The problem is not necessarily the number of hours that one is going to sleep. The problem is the quality of sleep that one experiences," he says.
"However, when you look at sleep patterns it tends to be determined partly by time factor. The important thing is if we can have quality sleep even if it's for brief periods, we will not necessarily suffer the consequences."
Oloo says lack of quality sleep and lack of enough rest in terms of duration leads to sleep deprivation which builds up and has an impact on awakeness, alertness, disorientation and anxiety and possible depression.
The doctor defines quality sleep as when an individual goes through the stages of sleep.
Cleveland Clinic says there are four stages of sleep falling broadly in rapid eye movement (REM) and non-REM (NREM).
The Clinic says there are three NREM stages. When one falls asleep, they typically enter NREM stage 1 and then cycle between NREM stages 2 and 3.
After that, they go into REM sleep and start dreaming. After the first REM cycle, one starts a new sleep cycle and goes back into stage 1 or 2, and the cycle starts over.
Cleveland Clinic says one cycle normally takes about 90 to 120 minutes before another begins.
Poor sleeping habits vs mental health issues
Oloo says when one has underlying mental health issues, then their quality of sleep will be affected.
Case in point, if one already has an anxiety disorder or depression, then the overthinking aspect of their brain will not allow them to sleep.
This is the same case as someone with a substance use disorder where the substance they use can hinder them from having quality sleep.
"Underlying mental health issues make one's conditions rapidly deteriorate. This means that lack of proper sleep for a day or two may lead to more severe mental health issues," he says.
"If someone has an underlying schizophrenic spectrum, then the symptoms associated with that are going to be more prominent and probably more severe when they lack sleep."
He notes that this is why part of their medication works to slow down the neural activities in the brain. This helps with physical rest and ensures that the nervous system is not activated.
He advises people with underlying mental health conditions to take their medication and adhere to the doctor's orders without fail.
Image: FILE
How to improve one's sleeping habits
Oloo says one should cope with the triggers that might be leading to a lack of proper sleep.
Depending on the trigger, it could be stress-related, familial or relationship which calls for improving the relations or changing one's point of view.
For those without mental health underlying conditions, they need to find out why they are not sleeping and resolve them.
Oloo says other techniques include cutting down on stimulants before bed, including coffee.
Secondly, it is to identify a pattern convenient for sleeping. Oloo notes that some people have revised the patterns for sleep-related paraphrenia.
This for example the habit of sleeping on the couch and reading in the bed.
This will mean that one will be comfortable sleeping on the couch.
Oloo says this needs to be revised to the normal patterns of sleeping on the bed and reading on the couch.
He adds that a third technique is cultivating a ritual that calms the brain down before bed.
This involves reading or watching the news and then going to sleep.
He however warns against using organic means like alcohol and sleeping pills.
Oloo says the baseline is that the brain needs to be taken care of for proper sleep to happen and for proper mental health.
This can be done by taking organic supplements that produce neurochemicals that assist in sleeping.