The links between sleep and mental health
'Sleep is like servicing the car of your brain and body – and it needs to happen every night,' says Dr Bentley. 'Poor sleep doesn't just make you tired; it affects your mood, memory, focus and self-confidence, and can increase your risk of developing depression and anxiety for years to come,' she said.
Restonic SA is the largest bed manufacturer in southern Africa and is on a mission to help people understand the power of sleep. Through the Restonic Ezintsha Sleep Clinic, it aims to support local sleep research and training for medical professionals. Adéle de la Reÿ, Group Marketing Manager for Sleep Group, Restonic SA's parent company, says sleep remains an undervalued aspect of health, including mental health.
'Dr Bentley has taught me that mental health challenges and sleep disorders often exist in a 'chicken and egg' relationship,' she says. 'Anxiety and depression can cause sleep disruption, while insomnia and other sleep disorders like sleep apnoea or restless legs syndrome can also trigger or worsen mental health issues. That's why it's so important to draw attention to the relationship between sleep and mental health. More and more young people are turning to platforms like TikTok for mental health support, and while this is helping to remove the stigma around mental health challenges, it also means that misinformation is flourishing.'
Restonic is working with Dr Bentley to make credible medical information relating to sleep more accessible, whether for young people, the working population, or organisations looking to understand the role that sleep health plays in employee productivity and engagement. This includes a podcast series on sleep health, corporate health screening, and partnering with schools to work with educators and parents. De la Reÿ says that addressing sleep offers potential benefits to every area of health.
'Many people put their tiredness down to work stress, parenting, or just life. But sometimes it's a sleep disorder – and left untreated, that can do long-term damage to both physical and mental health,' she warns.
Sleep disorders have been linked to higher risks of cardiovascular disease, obesity, dementia, and even earlier onset of diabetes.
'Sleep also influences mental health in a big way, and we're trying to draw attention to that.'
For example, Dr Bentley references a study that followed doctors who had battled to sleep during exams and found they had a higher risk of depression – even 35 years later. Dr Bentley explains that insomnia – defined as getting too little sleep to function properly – is not a one-size-fits-all condition. Acute insomnia, often triggered by stress or illness, can become chronic if not treated early. Secondary insomnia occurs alongside conditions like arthritis, depression or anxiety. And when insomnia persists for three months or more, even after the original trigger is gone, it is classified as insomnia disorder – a self-sustaining condition that often requires its own targeted treatment.
While sleeping tablets may help in the short term, they don't solve the root of the problem. For long-term improvement, Dr Bentley recommends Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBTI) – a proven, non-medication-based programme that addresses unhelpful sleep habits, thoughts and behaviours.
'There are free CBTI apps available, and seeing a trained professional can be life-changing,' she says. 'From August the Restonic Ezintsha sleep clinic will be taking bookings for an insomnia assessment clinic as well as a face-to-face CBT-I clinic charged at medical aid rates.'
Dr Bentley highlights lesser-known links between mood and other sleep disorders. She explains that restless legs syndrome and sleep apnoea – a condition where breathing is repeatedly interrupted during sleep – can rob the body of deep, restorative sleep and leave people exhausted, irritable and vulnerable to depression. 'In men, sleep apnoea is a common but often missed cause of midlife depression,' she says.
'If you're waking up tired despite getting a full night's sleep, it may be time to get checked. A simple questionnaire or overnight sleep study can make all the difference.'
'Insomnia or poor sleep shouldn't just be seen as a symptom of mental health issues – they're often contributing to or even causing them,' Dr Bentley says. 'Treating both sleep and mood problems simultaneously leads to better outcomes all round. If you're struggling with sleep or feeling overwhelmed, don't wait. There is help. Better sleep can be a powerful step toward better mental health.'
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IOL News
2 days ago
- IOL News
The links between sleep and mental health
Anxiety, depression and poor sleep are closely linked, and in many cases, the underlying sleep disorder remains undiagnosed – worsening people's mental health and quality of life. According to Dr Alison Bentley, medical doctor at the Restonic Ezintsha Sleep Clinic in Johannesburg, the relationship between sleep and mental health is complex, but worth understanding to improve both. 'Sleep is like servicing the car of your brain and body – and it needs to happen every night,' says Dr Bentley. 'Poor sleep doesn't just make you tired; it affects your mood, memory, focus and self-confidence, and can increase your risk of developing depression and anxiety for years to come,' she said. Restonic SA is the largest bed manufacturer in southern Africa and is on a mission to help people understand the power of sleep. Through the Restonic Ezintsha Sleep Clinic, it aims to support local sleep research and training for medical professionals. Adéle de la Reÿ, Group Marketing Manager for Sleep Group, Restonic SA's parent company, says sleep remains an undervalued aspect of health, including mental health. 'Dr Bentley has taught me that mental health challenges and sleep disorders often exist in a 'chicken and egg' relationship,' she says. 'Anxiety and depression can cause sleep disruption, while insomnia and other sleep disorders like sleep apnoea or restless legs syndrome can also trigger or worsen mental health issues. That's why it's so important to draw attention to the relationship between sleep and mental health. More and more young people are turning to platforms like TikTok for mental health support, and while this is helping to remove the stigma around mental health challenges, it also means that misinformation is flourishing.' Restonic is working with Dr Bentley to make credible medical information relating to sleep more accessible, whether for young people, the working population, or organisations looking to understand the role that sleep health plays in employee productivity and engagement. This includes a podcast series on sleep health, corporate health screening, and partnering with schools to work with educators and parents. De la Reÿ says that addressing sleep offers potential benefits to every area of health. 'Many people put their tiredness down to work stress, parenting, or just life. But sometimes it's a sleep disorder – and left untreated, that can do long-term damage to both physical and mental health,' she warns. Sleep disorders have been linked to higher risks of cardiovascular disease, obesity, dementia, and even earlier onset of diabetes. 'Sleep also influences mental health in a big way, and we're trying to draw attention to that.' For example, Dr Bentley references a study that followed doctors who had battled to sleep during exams and found they had a higher risk of depression – even 35 years later. Dr Bentley explains that insomnia – defined as getting too little sleep to function properly – is not a one-size-fits-all condition. Acute insomnia, often triggered by stress or illness, can become chronic if not treated early. Secondary insomnia occurs alongside conditions like arthritis, depression or anxiety. And when insomnia persists for three months or more, even after the original trigger is gone, it is classified as insomnia disorder – a self-sustaining condition that often requires its own targeted treatment. While sleeping tablets may help in the short term, they don't solve the root of the problem. For long-term improvement, Dr Bentley recommends Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBTI) – a proven, non-medication-based programme that addresses unhelpful sleep habits, thoughts and behaviours. 'There are free CBTI apps available, and seeing a trained professional can be life-changing,' she says. 'From August the Restonic Ezintsha sleep clinic will be taking bookings for an insomnia assessment clinic as well as a face-to-face CBT-I clinic charged at medical aid rates.' Dr Bentley highlights lesser-known links between mood and other sleep disorders. She explains that restless legs syndrome and sleep apnoea – a condition where breathing is repeatedly interrupted during sleep – can rob the body of deep, restorative sleep and leave people exhausted, irritable and vulnerable to depression. 'In men, sleep apnoea is a common but often missed cause of midlife depression,' she says. 'If you're waking up tired despite getting a full night's sleep, it may be time to get checked. A simple questionnaire or overnight sleep study can make all the difference.' 'Insomnia or poor sleep shouldn't just be seen as a symptom of mental health issues – they're often contributing to or even causing them,' Dr Bentley says. 'Treating both sleep and mood problems simultaneously leads to better outcomes all round. If you're struggling with sleep or feeling overwhelmed, don't wait. There is help. Better sleep can be a powerful step toward better mental health.'
Daily Maverick
4 days ago
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You can argue, but the data from your wrist or your cellphone could be their artificial intelligence receipts. Those emails you failed to respond to, those 'membership' health initiative apps you just didn't download and those gym membership offers ignored will all be there to justify the rejection. 'Our reasons for declining medical assistance are that we note several days of the week the client spent 24-hours watching Netflix series in a pronate position. The client/patient's heart rate was that of a bear in hibernation. This is a self-inflicted health issue.' Before apps, acknowledging you were overweight, now known as a body mass index, required you to look in the mirror. And then the fridge. And then make a plan. Or not, and happily settle into yourself. So, although blissful ignorance about one's health might be lethal, so too is an obsession with every morsel that passes from lips to toilet bowl. Data surveillance prisons If there is an epidemic of dissociation and loneliness in the world today, it might be because billions spend their 'free time' only on and by themselves – eyes growing myopic, stuck to screens while eating, sitting on buses and trains and even walking, crossing roads, cycling or ambling on city pavements. This leads to an intense inward journey that feeds straight into the data bank, contributing, in the end, to the quantum computer, soon to make its appearance like a big tech messiah. (Google it.) But in order to have any sort of relatively successful 'output' in life, you need 'input'. If millions are growing up or old scrolling through TikTok or Instagram, then we can safely say there is a lot of electronic debris floating around in human consciousness right now. Hence the attraction to 'fake news' and 'permanent outrage'. When life, reality and the world keeps coming as a surprise, this can destabilise the fragile mind. 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It is a hunger for real life, outside the electronic noise. Tune out and drop off. Leave the internet some days. Go on, read a book, watch a bird. DM This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper, which is available countrywide for R35.
The Citizen
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- The Citizen
Can foreign nationals use public healthcare services in South Africa?
THE question of who has the right to access public healthcare services in South Africa, specifically whether foreign nationals can use them, has been raised by the actions of some groups that physically prevented foreign nationals from accessing healthcare facilities across the country. Incidents of foreign nationals being prevented from accessing public healthcare facilities by these groups have been reported from across the country, and on Tuesday the Addington Hospital Gateway Clinic was one such site where the March and March movement carried out its campaign of turning away foreign nationals from the facility. Also read: 'South Africans first': March and March blocks access to Addington Clinic, checks IDs at gate Different organisations and institutions, including non-government bodies, have throughout the years indicated that, according to the South African Constitution, everyone has the right to have access to public healthcare services. Chapter 2: Bill of Rights, Section 27 of the Constitution reads: (1) Everyone has the right to have access to — (a) health care services, including reproductive health care; (3) No one may be refused emergency medical treatment. In its educational booklet on migration and non-nationals, the South African Human Rights Commission states that: 'Access to public health care facilities is another challenge that non-nationals encounter, mainly due to a lack of awareness on the part of some frontline health care staff. Section 27 of the Constitution entitles everyone to access basic health care services and no one may be denied emergency medical treatment. This means even undocumented migrants may not be refused emergency medical treatment on the basis of their lack of documentation; but they may be held liable to pay fees for any other health services. The National Health Act, 61 of 2003 provides that children below the age of six and pregnant or lactating women can access free health care services, irrespective of their documentation status or nationality. The right to health care can, however, be limited for everyone, depending on the availability of resources.' For more from Berea Mail, follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram. You can also check out our videos on our YouTube channel or follow us on TikTok. Click to subscribe to our newsletter – here At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
