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Explainer | Why you need a good night’s sleep every day: not getting any quickly triggers physical and mental problems, study finds

  • For a woman in Hong Kong, prolonged street protests helped trigger PTSD and sleep loss. A move to an island and other steps helped her overcome insomnia
  • A study has shown how quickly bad sleep affects your physical health and mental well-being. A psychiatric expert explains how to make sure you get enough

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Beth Dorrough used to have insomnia and often stayed awake until three or four in the morning. Among other things, she found that meditation helped her achieve regular and sufficient, quality sleep. Photo: Jonathan Wong
Sasha Gonzales

Beth Dorrough thought she had her mental health in check when she moved to Hong Kong in 2014.

Ten years earlier, while living in Sydney, Australia, she suffered an injury and developed post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and anxiety. Over the next few years, she underwent physical rehabilitation and says she only began to feel “normal” again in 2007.

It wasn’t long after she arrived in Hong Kong that her life was turned upside down once more.

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“I had problems adjusting to the culture and experienced problems at work, which triggered my anxiety,” she shares. “Three months after my move, the ‘umbrella movement’ protests occurred, which triggered my PTSD. Subsequently, I went through periods of unemployment and financial insecurity and this left me feeling even more anxious.” The protests in 2014 saw key city arteries blocked for 79 days.
Keep blue light exposure to a minimum – switch off your devices two hours before bedtime. Photo: Getty Images
Keep blue light exposure to a minimum – switch off your devices two hours before bedtime. Photo: Getty Images

Her sleep was impacted negatively as a result. The 45-year-old, who works in the events, sales and marketing industry, found it hard to quieten her mind at night. She used over-the-counter sleeping pills and would have some wine or watch television to help her doze off. She often stayed awake until three or four in the morning; sometimes she even had nightmares.

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