Excessive Daytime Sleepiness (EDS) and sleep problems are common in patients with schizophrenia. The symptom of EDS in schizophrenia can be attributed to various causes including neurobiological changes, sleep disorders, medication or as a symptom of schizophrenia itself.
People with schizophrenia may have various sleep problems, including insomnia, excessive sleepiness, and trouble with consistent sleep routines. Effective schizophrenia treatments can help with sleep problems.
Sleep hours tend to be less regular. Sleep may occur at any time of the day or night rather than for 7-8 hours overnight like most people. Sleep hours may be too few or too many. Sometimes this can be due to the drugs used to treat the psychosis.
These range from changes in neurobiology due to schizophrenia [3], as a part of negative symptoms [4], drug induced sleepiness after antipsychotic sedative action [5] and alterations in the sleep wake cycle [6].
Psychosis can also be triggered by traumatic experiences, stress, or physical conditions, such as Parkinson's disease, a brain tumour, or as a result of drug misuse or alcohol misuse. How often a psychotic episode occurs and how long it lasts can depend on the underlying cause.
Research suggests a combination of physical, genetic, psychological and environmental factors can make a person more likely to develop the condition. Some people may be prone to schizophrenia, and a stressful or emotional life event might trigger a psychotic episode.
People with schizophrenia have increased risk of suicide then the general population. The risk may be higher after an acute episode or hospital stay. This and other stresses, such as financial worries or feeling isolated, can lead to symptoms of depression.
Some studies have also reported individuals with psychosis having a higher average sleep duration than non-clinical controls [19–21], with a large proportion (43.5%-64.7%) sleeping more than 9 hours a night [22, 23]. A clear and well-known factor in excessive sleepiness in psychosis is antipsychotic medication.
Average life expectancy with schizophrenia
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the decline in life expectancy among people with more severe mental illness ranges from 10–25 years . Most studies of schizophrenia show a life expectancy reduction of 10–20 years.
Schizophrenia usually involves delusions (false beliefs), hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that don't exist), unusual physical behavior, and disorganized thinking and speech. It is common for people with schizophrenia to have paranoid thoughts or hear voices.
The most common theory about the cause of schizophrenia is that there are too many dopamine receptors in certain parts of the brain, specifically the mesolimbic pathway. 1 This causes an increase in mesolimbic activity which results in delusions, hallucinations, and other psychotic symptoms.
Or, they may move around so much and talk so quickly that they exhaust themselves. In people with schizophrenia, the sudden movements and excitability are typically related to symptoms of psychosis, like hallucinations or delusions.
The symptoms of schizophrenia are usually classified into: positive symptoms – any change in behaviour or thoughts, such as hallucinations or delusions. negative symptoms – where people appear to withdraw from the world around then, take no interest in everyday social interactions, and often appear emotionless and flat.
Avoid alcohol and drugs.
It can be tempting to try to self-medicate the symptoms of schizophrenia with drugs and alcohol. But substance abuse complicates schizophrenia treatment and only worsens symptoms. If you have a substance abuse problem, seek help.
Never tell your loved one that their symptoms are “not true,” “not real,” “imaginary,” or all in their head. Aim to be nonjudgmental. Try to avoid judgment or negativity about their experiences or perceptions. Don't pressure them to talk.
People with schizophrenia can have trouble distinguishing reality from fantasy, expressing and managing normal emotions and making decisions. Thought processes may also be disorganized and the motivation to engage in life's activities may be blunted.
Residual Stage
This is known as the final stage of schizophrenia. These symptoms are very similar to those of the prodromal stage. Patients in this stage are often not seen to be psychotic, but their symptoms shift from positive to negative (i.e. they take something away from the person).
Today, the largest single cause of death in schizophrenia is cardiovascular disease (CVD) (2, 3), similar to the general population.
Most people with schizophrenia are never violent and indeed do not display any dangerous behaviour. However a small number do become violent when they are suffering from the acute symptoms of psychosis because of the influence of the hallucinations and delusions on their thinking.