Why The Conversation lifted the (eye) mask on insomnia

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In Australia, the financial cost of poor sleep is an estimated A$26 billion a year, mainly through lost productivity or accidents.

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The ConversationThe Conversation
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https://theconversation.com/why-the-conversation-lifted-the-eye-mask-on-insomnia-217268https://theconversation.com/why-the-conversation-lifted-the-eye-mask-on-insomnia-217268
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Thursday, November 9, 2023
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Social media, Education, Housing, Technology, US, Obesity, Flinders University, University, Dopamine, Conversation, Diabetes, Swinburne University of Technology, Dementia, Environment, DSM-IV codes, Risk, Sleep, Diet, Eye, Accident, Noise, Income, Caffeine, The Conversation, Mental health, Nursing, Pharmaceutical industry, Film industry, Mail order, Consumer electronics, Insomnia
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AUSTRALIA
Summary
Key Points: 
  • In Australia, the financial cost of poor sleep is an estimated A$26 billion a year, mainly through lost productivity or accidents.
  • Think sleep apps, sleep therapy, sleep influencers, sleeping pills, medicinal cannabis, and on it goes.
  • That’s why The Conversation commissioned a six-part series to explore insomnia.

How we became obsessed with sleep

  • So our sleep habits shifted as a result of this new way of living and working.
  • Read more:
    A short history of insomnia and how we became obsessed with sleep

Insomnia in the movies, and why it’s a problem

  • Insomnia is rarely depicted as a treatable illness, write Aaron Schokman and Nick Glozier from the University of Sydney.
  • These portrayals have implications for the estimated one in three of us with at least one insomnia symptom.
  • These portrayals can perpetuate stereotypes about insomnia and who’s at risk, making it harder for people to seek care.

How dangerous is insomnia really?

  • Insomnia has been linked to developing conditions such as dementia, obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure.
  • No wonder people are concerned about their lack of sleep and its impacts.
  • Even if people don’t have insomnia to start with, all this unnecessary worry may lead them to develop it.

How about mental disorders?

  • As Ben Bullock from Swinburne University of Technology writes, the relationship between insomnia and mental disorders is complex.
  • It’s not just a case of “which comes first, the insomnia or the mental disorder?” Insomnia and mental disorders are interrelated in ways we don’t fully understand.

Which treatments actually work?

  • Next, we look at treatments for insomnia – what works, what doesn’t, and what we might expect.
  • It’s a type of psychological therapy known as cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia, or CBTi.

There’s an app for that

  • The global insomnia market is expected to reach US$6.3 billion by 2030, driven by increased diagnoses and therapy, as well as sleep aids, including sleep apps.
  • And fixating on the sleep data these apps generate won’t necessarily help you sleep.
  • Then there are social media “sleep influencers” who share their take on sleep and how to get more of it.

If you can’t sleep


We hope the series helps pull back the (eye) mask on insomnia – what it is, what it is not, and how to access treatment. But the series is also a reminder that not everyone can buy the latest technologies or can change their environment or lifestyle to help them sleep. As Lupton concludes, a good night’s sleep shouldn’t be the preserve of the privileged.

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