Stress, anxiety keeping Kenyans awake at night

The phrase ‘giving women/men sleepless nights’ is now cliché, especially on social media. But many Nairobians feel the economy is the main reason they are having sleepless nights and not because of the looks or posts of certain men or women.

‘Meme lords’ have also taken their assignments well and now we have, ‘Mambo ni mengi, masaa ni machache’ (Issues are many, hours are few) and perhaps this is the challenge many Kenyans are currently going through; having too much work to do, but with such little time, all in the hope of earning enough money to cater for their endless bills.

Paul Musyoki, a 38-year-old businessman from Tala, says he has been having sleepless nights because his mind keeps wandering, thinking of how to sustain his business and still be able to provide for his young family.

Narrating his story to The Nairobian, Musyoki says he has had to move his children from the private school they had been attending, to a public school, saying that he has been unable to pay school fees.

“Sometimes I tell myself I will sleep well because I am exhausted from the day’s work, only for my head to hit the pillow and it goes to ‘work’,” he laments, adding that he has not tried any sleep-inducing remedy.

Although he says this has been helping him keep up with his business because he sometimes wakes up to complete his invoices and LPOs, he knows that it is causing him more harm because he tends to feel sleepy during the ‘wrong hours’ of the day when he needs to be most active.

Musyoki’s story is not different from many Kenyans’, especially those living in the urban areas and who have been suffering from insomnia, some in silence while others have dared to seek help.

Urbanisation is believed to be one of the leading causes of insomnia.

According to Jackie Gathu, a Counseling Psychologist, when the body is exposed to stress from work, school, and social relationships, its response contributes to hyperarousal. This and mental stress can have an effect of making people suffer insomnia.

Other issues related to urbanisation may include air, water and noise pollution, especially since urban centres are overpopulated and movement continues late into the night.

The inability to sleep may in itself become a source of stress because the moment one realises they are having a problem with sleep, they may have panic attacks about it, then it becomes increasingly difficult to break the cycle of insomnia.

Additionally, she says that the availability of gadgets by people in the urban areas has also contributed to insomnia due to the blue light from the screens which interrupts their sleep patterns.

“Most people will get into bed, scroll on their phones and sleep a bit, then when they wake up, even before their minds have registered that they are awake, they are already on their phones scrolling again,” she says. According to Gathu, due to the change of lifestyle in the cities, people think they are being ‘woke’ by having access to gadgets or by being busy all the time and not scheduling time for themselves, forgetting that being overly busy makes them less productive if they don’t get enough rest.

Insomnia can be caused by other mental disorders like anxiety, depression and neurological problems, but can also be a result of physical illness, pain or when one is under medications.

People living in urban areas also have a great exposure to alcohol which Gathu says is one of the leading causes of insomnia.

“When one goes drinking, they think they will fall asleep easily, but that is not the case because you will only sleep for a while and when the alcohol is out of your system, you will not be able to sustain sleep, and may not fall asleep again until morning,” she explains.

People who have insomnia are most likely to experience difficulty falling asleep, waking up during the night, waking up too early, not feeling well-rested and daytime sleepiness.

They may also be irritable and depressed and may make many errors. Gathu is also advising people to avoid caffeinated drinks such as tea or coffee, always avoid heavy meals before bedtime but be active during the day.

She suggests reading a book at bedtime, listening to calming music that may stimulate sleep and sticking to a regular sleep pattern even during the weekends.

She explains that sometimes medication prescribed by a doctor can be useful in treating sleep disorders or take cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia which helps to identify and restore thoughts or behaviours that cause or worsen sleep problems with habits that promote sound sleep.