Impact Of Sleep On Mental Health
Written by: THE BALANCE
Medically reviewed by Dr. Sarah Boss, MD
Last updated: January 19, 2026
Fact checked
Quick Summary
  • Sleep is an intuitively episodical and necessitous factor for the survival of living entities.
  • As a healthy diet and healthy food are indispensable for human well-being likewise, no one can deny the pre-eminence of healthy sleep.
  • It is pertained by lessened consciousness and diverged perception of a brain to the environmental triggers.
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Sleep is an intuitively episodical and necessitous factor for the survival of living entities. As a healthy diet and healthy food are indispensable for human well-being likewise, no one can deny the pre-eminence of healthy sleep. It is pertained by lessened consciousness and diverged perception of a brain to the environmental triggers. Sleep works as a healing and therapeutic stimulating activity for our mind and helps revive the movement of all life-saving organs and systems.       

The never-stopping systems of our body like the defensive system, skeletal system, t wmuscular system, respiratory system, and nervous system need sleep to refresh their activity to perform normally. Sleep also actively contributes to balanced emotional, cognitive, mental, and physical prosperity. Sleeping is a complex biological phenomenon during which you are drowsy, but your mind and body functions remain active. 

Aside from revival activity, our body also haul-up the subsidies counting detoxification, thermoregulation, energy restoration, metabolic regulation, and brain maturation. A favorable sleep schedule decides the daytime energy levels, moods, and cognitive health of a person.

Many factors contribute to sound mental health, but sleep is an irrefutable and undeniable pillar. The relationship of sleep to mental health is no secret and is visible with all attestations. During sleep, mental activity fluctuates commonly by increasing and decreasing at different sleep stages, making the whole sleep cycle. 

The analogy between mental health and sleep is bidirectional as many psychiatric anomalies contribute to sleep disturbances which further cause mental health problems relating to anxiety, bipolar diseases, and depression. Meanwhile, deep research is still going on. Still, based on available shreds of evidence, mental health and sleep have diverse and multifaceted relation that is tempted by various factors varying from person to person.

A healthier sleep contributes to revamping the body at the cellular level, rebalancing the mental chemistry, and cementing memory and information. When a person enjoys deep and sound sleep, his brain performs slow-wave activities and imparts a beneficial impact on the brain and body, and hence a person wakes up refreshed. The fluctuations in brain activity during rest are described by two given below specific terms:

NREM (Non-Rapid Eye Moment) Sleep

NREM sleep is also called the dreamless sleep phase with slowed brain activity followed by bursts of energy. An electroencephalographic (EEG) recording of a person during the NREM sleep phase shows typically high voltage and slowed down brain waves, slower breathing and heart rate, low blood pressure, and a still position. While enjoying NREM sleep body of a person: (source: NHS, 2023)

  • Builds muscles and bones
  • Repairs and regenerates body tissues
  • Empower the immune system

NREM is less common in older people as compared to young people. People under 30 typically enjoy 2 hours of this sleep, while older people may have 30 minutes of this every night.

REM (Rapid Eye Moment) Sleep

REM is also referred to as a dreamful phase of sleep illustrated by the random and rapid moments of the eyes. Paradoxical sleep and desynchronized sleep terms are also used for REM. An electroencephalogram of sleep during REM revealed quick, desynchronized, low voltage brain waves and abundant production of the brain neurotransmitter acetylcholine, histamine, and monoamine. While sleeping in REM sleep following actions are done:

  • Raming up or down of brain for better thinking, learning, and memory
  • Optimistic emotional content
  • Reliving of old thoughts and memories
  • Facilitated brain functioning

REM sleep can take place after or within 90 minutes of falling asleep.

Sleep disorder is common in golden-agers with dementia, and proof also suggests that distressed sleep may also lead to psychological disorders and risk of dementia. Although the mechanisms are not entirely understood, experimental research suggests that even a single night of insomnia leads to the aggregation of beta-amyloid in the human brain. 

Beta-amyloid is the metabolic side product that may form panels over time, contributing to AD (Alzheimer’s Disease). Sound sleep plays a critical role in preventing cerebral decline and risk for Alzheimer’s Disease. 

Sleep Duration And Poor Sleep Quality

Overall, there is robust presumptive evidence of an organization highlighting the connection between sleep duration and risk of dementia or cognitive decline. Chen and colleagues examined 7444 dwelling women to test self-responded sleep patterns, prolongation predicted incidents of MCI (Mild Cognitive Impairment), and madness during follow-up.  (source: APA, 2019)

They discovered a V-shaped corporation between sleep duration and risk of dementia/MCI, with long (greater than 8 hours per night) and short (less than 6 hours per night) sleepers showing a 35-36% rise in the risk of mental health issues.

Sleep deprivation is defined as independent sleeping less than six hours per night. It is regular sleeping among individuals in commercial nations. In addition to industrialization, its regularity is also expected to get up with age. Nevertheless, there has been a shipment in recent years with sleep deficiency increasing in the youth, probably related to the expanded use of technology throughout the nighttime. 

Sleep deprivation or lack of sleep can exacerbate many mental health problems such as stress, anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorders. Even healthier persons are not apart from negative mental health consequences of poor sleep.

Depression 

Not all people who deal with depression accompany sleep-related disorders, but many do. While doing the treatments for depression, doctors typically ask the patients about their sleep patterns. Typical symptoms of clinical depression are oversleeping, insomnia and trouble sleeping. Sleep disorders usually alter mood as well, causing dysthymia, creating a vicious lifecycle.

Stress

Lack of adequate sleep gives birth to unusual mood changes such as anger and increased irritability, making it difficult to cope with daily life minor stresses. Daily annoyance and everyday hassle turn into significant sources of frustration, and one feels stressed, short, tempered, and frazzled.

Anxiety

Both sleep and anxiety are interrelated; increased anxiety induces sleep disorders. Correspondingly, sleep deprivation is a leading cause of anxiety. Additionally, prolonged and untreated sleep problems are most likely to be the risk factor for the development of anxiety disorders. (source: WHO, 2023)

Mania 

Reduced sleep is contributive towards the symptoms of hypomania or mania, a psychological illness marked by periods of euphoria or great excitement, overactivity, and delusions. Researches suggest that upsets in the usual sleep/wake cycle cause 25% to 65% of people more prone to manic episodes.

Insomnia is a contributing factor to many mental health disorders. It is a common sleep disorder that can make it difficult to fall asleep and sit asleep or force you to wake up early and not sleep again. You may still feel fatigued when you wake up. 

Insomnia can resin your energy levels, mood, health, quality of life, and work performance. How much sleep is mandatory varies from person to person, but most individuals have seven to eight hours of sleep. Studies reveal that people with insomnia face difficulty activating specific brain regions that participate in short-term memory storage.

Sometimes, many adults experience acute (short-term) insomnia, which lasts for weeks or days. It is usually the result of a traumatic event or stress. But some people may have chronic (long-term) insomnia that endures for a month or more. Insomnia may be the central problem, or it may be linked with other medications or medical issues. 

Symptoms Of Insomnia

The most common insomnia symptoms are staying asleep or trouble falling, even if you have sufficient time and the right circumstances for good sleep. With time, untreated insomnia may increase your risk of categorical health problems or road accidents, or workplace.

Insomnia symptoms might include: (source: NICE, 2019)

  • Waking up too early
  • Increased blunders or accidents
  • Irritability, anxiety, or depression
  • Daytime sleepiness or tiredness
  • Ongoing dilemmas about sleep
  • Problems with paying attention, focusing on responsibilities, or remembering
  • Problems falling asleep at night

Shreds of evidence feature Hypersomnia as an early prediction of future depression or mood disorder. It is a medical word used to express various conditions in which a person feels extremely tired and sleeps more than on regular days. Hypersomnia may be caused by other sleep disorders such as narcolepsy or sleep apnea, malfunction of the autonomic nervous system, or alcohol or drug abuse. 

Activities for Mental Health

In a minority of cases, it results from physical confusions such as head trauma, tumor, or injury to the central nervous system. Some instructors classify Hypersomnia as primary and secondary. It would be no wrong to state that depression and Hypersomnia feed each other.

  • Primary hypersomnia is an autonomic state that occurs itself and has no known fundamental causes. 
  • Secondary hypersomnia results from an underlying medical condition

Symptoms Of Hypersomnia

Hypersomnia is characterized by recurring episodes of immoderate daytime sleep or continued nighttime sleep. Different from feeling unwell due to lack of or halted sleep at night, persons with hypersomnia are obligated to frequently nap during the day or often at inappropriate times such as in conversion, at work, during a meal. Some common symptoms are:

  • Increased irritation
  • Anxiety
  • Restlessness 
  • Decreased energy
  • Loss of appetite
  • Slow speech
  • Slow thinking
  • Hallucinations
  • Memory difficulty
  • Dilapidations 

Many things contribute to disturbing sleep and poor sleep habits, resulting in harmful impacts on a person’s mental health. You should keenly analyze the reasons for your sleep disturbance and then find ways of improvement. The most common cause of sleep distortions is poor sleep hygiene. Following suggestions can prove as a helping hand in optimizing your sleep habits and suppressing these distractions:

  • Dimming lights and intermitting the use of electronic gadgets like a mobile phone at least an hour before sleep
  • Setting definite bedtime and stabilizing your sleep schedule
  • Find and add up soothing techniques to your daily sleep routine
  • Getting daylight exposure and practicing daily exercises and yoga
  • Avoid the consumption of caffeine, alcohol, and tobacco in the evening
  • Practice a daily meditation for a few minutes for the relaxation of your mind and body
  • Blocking the sleep distractions like sound and excessive light
  • Try to limit your daytime naps that can impact your essential night sleep
  • Avoid the intake of excessive liquids at night and empty your bladder before going to bed
  • Heightening up your support and comfort from your pillows, bedding, and mattress
  • Take a bath or read a book to pile up a solid mood for a deep night sleep
  • Download an app built to enhance and optimize your sleep
  • Please write down the worries that keep you awake in your diary to shred off them
  • Taking Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and discover solutions by conversating with your psychiatrist or therapist

The cheerful bedroom arrangement and above trails will straighten out your unsynchronized and dwindling sleep schedule. These habits will help you fall asleep fast and enjoy productive and sound sleep, leading to sound mental health.  (source: StatPearls, 2024)

To ensure that getting sufficient sleep is necessary for mental health, you must look upon the time duration recommended according to your age group by experts. Because the essentiality of ideal sleep can’t be overlooked so here is the advised sleep duration according to age group:

  • For adults: 7 to 8 hours a day
  • For newborn babies: 16 to 18 hours a day
  • For teenagers: 9 to 1o hours a day
  • For preschool-aged children: at least 10 hours a day

Although the recommended sleep time for adults is 7 to 8 hours a day, 30% of Americans are found not following this and are reported getting less than 6 hours of sleep every night. The time when you are not getting enough sleep is stockpile as sleep debt and affects your health.

As the brain is a central controlling organ for our whole body functions so any anomaly in the brain can have many drastic effects. Like any other health disorder that can create disturbances in your life and make your life uneasy, and that’s why you avoid confronting any such health disorder. 

So is the case with your mental health because decrypting mental health can also make your life hard-living. The above discussion gives you a deep-down understanding of the incontrovertible association of sleep to unsuffering mental health and the adverse effect of dwindling sleep on mental health.

You should try to give your honest effort to regulate your sleep cycle and haul in a night of healthy and undisturbed sleep. Giving your body a recommended sleep according to your age group will empower your mental health and aid you in achieving your daily work goals and targets. You can also make changes to your bedroom arrangement as a trial and error to upsurge your sleep standard. 

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