Psychiatrist Warns Poor Sleep and Stress Are Major Risk Factors for Mental Health Issues

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A Psychiatrist, Dr Salawu Abiola, advises Nigerians to get adequate sleep and rest to reduce the risk of mental health conditions especially with the current economic challenges.

Abiola, the President of Association of Resident Doctors, Federal Neuro-psychiatric Hospital Yaba, gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Lagos.

He cautioned that prolonged days of sleeplessness could be an indicator for a mental health problem that needed to be checked.

Abiola, who described poor sleep as gateway to mental illness, said that depression, stress, lack of happiness, sudden loss of interest and anxiety disorders were other factors that could trigger mental illness.

The psychiatrist said that mental depression had became rampant among the populace, attributing the development to the present reality of economic hardship in the country.

He said that the increase of depression cases made it pertinent that more attention should be paid to the situation to avert adverse effects on the populace and economy.

“Engaging in positive activities that give happiness, while avoiding anger could help prevent depression.

“People should learn to control and manage their feelings/emotions at any given time in order not to fall into depression.

“Setting achievable goals and time management are also key to coping with stress/depression because our expectations sometimes may be unrealistic and it put us on a lot of pressure,” Abiola said.

According to him, prolonged stress reduces the body immune system, too much/accumulated stress affects both the mental health and physical health.

The psychiatrist regretted that many people had suddenly slumped and die due to accumulated stress.

Abiola urged Nigerians to pay attention to their health, prioritise their sleep and rest as the practices were fundamental to mental health.

“If you work and die today; someone will replace you at the workplace, but no one replaces you in the family.

“Don’t work Monday to Friday, and also during the weekend without making out time to rest.

“Even during the working hours, there should be a ‘timeout session’ for a short break because work can be overwhelming sometimes,” he told NAN.

Abiola further urged people to create time for relaxation and look beyond the economic situation of the country, adding, ‘’focus on positivity in every bad situation.

“Go for holidays, vacations, get involved with things that makes you happy and socialise with positive people,” he said.

The psychiatric doctor explained that every human being was expected to spend one third of his/her lifetime to sleep, stressing that an individual was supposed to sleep for six to eight hours per day.

Abiola said it implied that a 45-year-old person was supposed to have slept for 15 years, while a 10-year-old child was expected to have spent four years of his/her life to sleep.

According to him, the reason is that the nerves of the brain repairs and positions itself for better functioning during sleep.

He said that sleep deprivation impacted on one’s level of productivity at workplace, adding that it could also lower alertness and concentration.

“Getting a good sleep is extremely important for your health, it is just as important as eating a balanced diet and exercising.

“Sleep deficiency has been linked to depression, anxiety and mental distress.

“If you have problem with sleeping, you might be more likely to be anxious, depressed or suicidal; poor sleep can make it difficult to cope with even relatively minor stress,” Abiola said.

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