Doom-scrolling is the tangled relationship between survival and technological design amplified by the Covid-19 pandemic, where we unintentionally let the algorithm behind the platform think that bad news is the type of news we want.
A radical shift is needed in how people think about sleep, with experts warning that poor rest is quietly fuelling anxiety, depression and reduced productivity.
This is according to clinical psychologist Tony de Gouveia, who practices at Netcare Akeso Alberton, and says sleep is still widely underestimated as a pillar of mental wellbeing.
“Just how much our sleep affects our mental health and wellbeing is generally vastly underestimated,” de Gouveia said. “The role of poor sleep in anxiety and depression is well documented. It’s not only our physical energy that is replenished during sleep, but it is also essential for our cognitive functioning and emotional regulation.”
He warned that between a third and half of people regularly fail to get the recommended seven to eight hours of sleep per night, a trend he described as concerning in an already high-stress society.
