Sleep and mental health
Have you ever spent the night tossing and turning, or staring at the ceiling wondering if you’ll *ever* get to sleep? Everyone has a bad night’s sleep every now and then, but what are the impacts of long-term poor-quality sleep? And what are the effects on our mental health?
Long-term sleep deprivation and poor mental health are closely linked. Poor mental health often leads to interrupted sleep due to thinking about stressful issues.
However, the reverse is also true. People who experience poor quality or interrupted sleep patterns are at greater risk of developing mental health issues than people who sleep well.
Insomnia is the term used for ongoing interrupted sleep patterns. There are different types of insomnia:
Acute insomnia is associated with a specific stressful or traumatic event e.g., loss of a loved one, a relationship breakdown, job loss, or an accident. This type of insomnia can last for many weeks.
Chronic insomnia is insomnia which lasts for at least three months. Primary chronic insomnia has no clear underlying cause. Secondary chronic insomnia is caused by specific conditions (e.g., ADHD, anxiety, depression, symptoms of menopause), or by certain medications.
Sleep maintenance insomnia is the inability to stay asleep. People with this type of insomnia wake up at least once a night for a minimum of 20-30mins (and up to several hours) at a time.
Onset insomnia is where people have difficulty falling asleep. This can be caused by stress, anxiety, or depression, or by conditions such as restless leg syndrome. This type of insomnia is common in shift workers.
In the Isaac region, we have a large number of people working shift work, largely in the mining industry and in agriculture. Shift workers regularly swap between day shifts and night shifts, have very early or very late starts, and often work for very long hours. Essentially, they switch between sleeping at normal times and when they should be asleep.
There is a formal sleep disorder called Shift Work Sleep Disorder (SWSD). This occurs where shift workers find it very difficult to adjust to their changing sleep schedules. People with SWSD may struggle to fall asleep and stay asleep when they need to, which results in them feeling fatigued and excessively sleepy when they are at work. The consequences of SWSD can range from irritability and mood problems, poor coping skills, increased risk of mental health disorders, a decline in physical health, to drug or alcohol dependency. People who experience SWSD are also at higher risk of having an accident or making errors at work or while driving.
How much sleep do we need?
The amount of sleep each person needs varies, but most adults require at least 7 – 9 hours of sleep each night. It’s estimated that shift workers get between one and four hours less sleep than non-shift workers.
How can shift workers and people with SWSD improve their sleep?
Make sleep a priority.
Follow your normal sleep routines, even when going to bed during daylight hours.
Minimise sun exposure on your way home from work. Sunlight activates your internal body clock and tells your brain you should be awake.
Make your sleeping area as dark and quiet as possible.
Ask others in your home to help you with your sleep e.g., ask family members to avoid noisy activities such as vacuuming, and get them to wear headphones or keep the volume low when watching TV or listening to music.
Put a “Do Not Disturb” sign on your door.
Make sure you get enough sleep on your days off.
Not all shift workers experience SWSD. However, if you feel are experiencing difficulty in adjusting to sleeping around your shift work, or are a non-shift worker who is having trouble sleeping, it’s a good idea to see your doctor for advice.