Insomnia is an ancient preoccupation and a contemporary obsession. The impact on our mental health and well-being may be dramatic.
In Australia, the financial cost of poor sleep has been estimated. 26 billion dollars a yearprimarily through lost productivity or accidents.
Getting sleep can also be one. Multi billion dollars A worldwide business that remains to be growing. Consider sleep apps, sleep therapy, sleep aids, sleeping pills, medicinal cannabis, and more.
That's why The Conversation launched a six-part series exploring insomnia. We hear from sleep researchers, psychologists, a historian and a sociologist. Everyone has a singular perspective on sleep, the shortage of it, and what it's costing us.
How we became obsessive about sleep.
The series begins with a transient history of insomnia, charting its rise as nations industrialized. Philippa Marter, a historian on the University of Western Australia, writes that when things we now associate with insomnia became part of individuals's lives – artificial light and clocks, more ambient noise, changes in food plan and housing. So our sleeping habits modified consequently of this latest way of life and dealing.
After sleeping pills, as was our obsession with caffeine. Now we go to bed with handheld devices—with their brilliant lights and constant dopamine hits that stimulate us and keep us from falling asleep.
Insomnia in Movies, and Why It's a Problem
Next, we take a look at how fictional portrayals of insomnia in movies may be misleading. Most movies either understate or, more commonly, exaggerate the symptoms. Psychological thrillers are amongst the largest offenders.
Insomnia isn't portrayed as a treatable disease, write Aaron Schuckman and Nick Glozier from the University of Sydney.
Why are they concerned? These images have implications for estimation. One out of three At least one in all us with symptoms of insomnia. These images can perpetuate stereotypes about insomnia and who's in danger, making it difficult for people to hunt care.
How dangerous is insomnia really?
Insomnia has been linked to developing conditions resembling dementia, obesity, diabetes and hypertension. No wonder individuals are concerned about their lack of sleep and its effects. This anxiety, in turn, can disrupt sleep.
But how bad is insomnia in your body? Leon Lack and Nicole Lovato from Flinders University show how the evidence is less strong than we predict. Yet the scary headlines proceed, making people much more anxious.
Even if people don't have insomnia to start with, all this unnecessary stress can cause them to develop it.
What about mental illness?
Evidence for a link between insomnia and mental disorders is stronger, which we'll explore in the following article within the series.
As Ben Bullock of Swinburne University of Technology writes, the connection between insomnia and mental illness is complex. It's not only a case of “which comes first, the insomnia or the mental disorder?” Insomnia and mental disorders are linked in ways we don't fully understand.
And treating one often cures the opposite.
What treatments actually work?
Next, we take a look at insomnia treatments – what works, what doesn't, and what we are able to expect.
It seems that probably the most effective treatment just isn't a sleeping pill, write Alexander Sweetman and Nicole Greville from Flinders University and Jane Walsh from the University of Western Australia.
This is a form of psychological therapy called cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia, or CBTi. with reference to 70-80% Insomniacs sleep higher after CBTi, with improvements lasting longer. At least one year.
If that doesn't work, there are sleeping pills, and newer drug treatments, on the horizon.
There's an app for that.
Insomnia just isn't just a private problem that affects a person's health and well-being. This is a public health issue, which affects public safety. This is a socioeconomic problem, as poor sleep is related to lower education and income. And, increasingly, it's a industrial problem, writes Deborah Lupton from the University of New South Wales, in the ultimate article within the series.
It is anticipated to achieve the worldwide insomnia market. 6.3 billion US dollars By 2030, increased diagnosis and therapy in addition to sleep aids, including sleep apps.
But not all sleep apps are accurate or useful. And correcting the sleep data these apps generate won't necessarily enable you sleep.
Then there are the social media “sleep influencers” who share their opinions on sleep and ways to get more of it. Can any of this help us?
If you possibly can't sleep
We hope the series will help pull back the (eye) mask on insomnia – what it's, what it isn't, and the best way to access treatment. But the series can also be a reminder that not everyone should purchase the most recent technology or change their environment or lifestyle to assist them sleep.
As Lupton concludes, a great night's sleep mustn't be reserved for the privileged.