Psychosis can involve a variety of symptoms including a loss of contact without reality, delusions, and hallucinations. This is because it affects the way our brain processes information. Many different conditions can contribute to or cause psychosis including bipolar I disorder (the manic phase), schizophrenia, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Most people have gone without enough sleep at some point, and it can surely make you feel different, but what are the symptoms of sleep deprivation, and do any of them mirror the symptoms associated with psychosis?
What is Sleep Deprivation?
Sleep deprivation refers to a lack of sufficient sleep and it can be a chronic issue in some people, meaning that the issue may last for a prolonged period. The severity of sleep deprivation can range from mild to severe.
The amount of sleep deprivation before the development of symptoms will vary from one person to the next depending on genetic predisposition and individual sleep requirements. Even if someone misses only a couple of hours each night that they need to feel completely rested, the side effects of sleep deprivation will gradually begin.
Total sleep deprivation refers to a complete lack of sleep for several consecutive nights whereas incremental sleep loss refers to missing some sleep that can build up the amount of deprivation of the individual.
A lack of sleep can cause impairments and deteriorate your ability to function. At first, a sleep-deprived person may have dark circles under their eyes or have difficulty keeping their eyes open. They may also become irritable, fatigued, and have a hard time focusing. However, as sleep debt continues to pile up, there can be additional symptoms that can interfere with your livelihood.
Sleep-deprived people are more prone to mistakes and accidents and may have headaches. It can contribute to an increased risk for heart problems and other serious ailments. The fatigue can increase until the person develops muscle aches and tremors.
There are also a variety of mental effects like worsened memory, decreased alertness, increased stress, mania, and difficulty formulating thoughts. In addition, some symptoms mimic symptoms of psychosis. Before examining those, it is good to know what psychosis is and what types of symptoms it can cause.
What is Psychosis?
Psychosis is a symptom of a separate problem that can cause distressing symptoms that include loss of reality, delusions, disorganized thought processes, and hallucinations. Psychosis can be a serious problem that required immediate medical treatment.
Several conditions are often related to psychosis as a symptom including bipolar disorder, brief psychotic disorder that occurs during an extreme period of stress, delusional disorder, and schizophrenia. It can also be a symptom of severe depression or postpartum depression. Finally, psychosis can be induced by drug use.
There are some warning signs of psychosis that can develop prior to the psychotic episode. While these warning signs are not always present, in some instances they can occur in the period leading up to the psychosis. These warning signs include mood changes like depression, anger, and anxiousness. There may also be changes in thinking and perception or the way that you feel about the world around you.
If you or a loved one suffers from psychosis, then you may find BetterHelp to be a great resource for identifying symptoms, learning about treatment options, and examining potential causes. They have tons of articles that can be helpful, but it is also important to seek medical intervention for a psychotic episode.
Can Sleep Deprivation Cause Psychosis?
Everybody knows that sleep is required and that losing too much sleep can lead to some problems with functionality and cognition. According to research, sleep deprivation can cause symptoms often observed in people suffering from psychosis.
Studies show that sleep deprivation can cause perceptual distortions and hallucinations as well as mood changes, irritability, and anxiety that are also present in some psychotic episodes. In addition, lack of sleep can lead to depersonalization, which is a detachment from the self, and disorientation regarding time and space.
Furthermore, some of these symptoms of sleep deprivation can begin to develop after just 24 to 48 hours without sleep with other symptoms showing up after 3 sleepless nights. The symptoms will gradually worsen over time without recovery sleep.
What Causes Sleep Deprivation?
There are a lot of potential causes of sleep deprivation, and some are more concerning than others. Sometimes sleep deprivation can occur just because we choose to stay up too late and wake up too early. Most adults require 7 to 8 hours of sleep a night. This can happen because of work demands or other factors in daily life.
Another cause is insomnia that is a common sleep disorder caused by a variety of factors. Stress and anxiety are common causes of insomnia and things like phone and computer screens can also disrupt sleep. Drinking coffee too late in the day may also make it harder to fall and stay asleep.
Mental health and medical conditions like narcolepsy, bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety, ADHD, restless legs syndrome, and sleep apnea can all play a role in losing sleep as well. If you have a condition contributing to your lack of sleep, then it is best to seek the help of a medical or mental health professional.
Recovery Sleep
If sleep deprivation is the only cause of the psychotic symptoms, then recovery sleep should be sufficient to resolve the hallucinations, delusions, and other worrying symptoms. Even if you have missed out on a large amount of sleep, just one good night of sleep may be enough to reverse and eliminate the side effects of sleep deprivation.
Conclusion
Sleep deprivation can cause a variety of symptoms that make it hard to maintain relationships, work productively, and function cognitively. In some cases, it can also contribute to symptoms often associated with psychosis like hallucinations and delusions. Identifying the cause of the sleep problems is the first step toward a possible solution.
Photo Credit: iStock