Sleep Problems

here’s a close relationship between sleep and mental health. Living with a mental health problem can affect how well you sleep, and poor sleep can have a negative impact on your mental health.


What problems might I have with sleep?

Everyone needs sleep, but many of us have problems with it. You might recognise some of the experiences listed below:-

You might:

  • Find it hard to fall asleep, stay asleep, or wake up earlier than you’d like to (also known as insomnia
  • Have problems that disturb your sleep, such as panic attacks, flashbacks, nightmares, or psychosis
  • Find it hard to wake up or get out of bed
  • Often feel tired or sleepy – this could be because you’re not sleeping enough, not getting good quality sleep, or because of health problems
  • Sleep a lot – which could include sleeping at times when you want, or need, to be awake.

 

What causes problems with sleep?

The things that affect our sleep differ for everyone. They can include:


It’s important to establish the causes of your sleep problems and to tackle them as having these could mean you are:

  • more likely to feel anxious, depressed, or suicidal
  • more likely to have psychotic episodes– poor sleep can trigger mania, psychosis, or paranoia, or make existing symptoms worse
  • feeling lonely or isolated
  • struggling to concentrate, or make plans and decisions
  • feeling irritable or not having the energy to do things
  • having problems with day-to-day life – for example, at work or with family and friends