Sleep plays a crucial role in maintaining mental health and well-being. As a state of reduced mental and physical activity, the purpose of sleep is to allow the brain to rest and repair itself.
We’ve all felt cranky after a bad night’s sleep, but how does persistent sleep deprivation affect our mental health?
How does lack of sleep affect mental health?
There’s a close relationship between sleep and mental health. Lack of sleep can have a negative impact on mental wellbeing, and poor mental health can impact our sleep quality in a negative feedback loop that can make coping with everyday life harder.
If you’re struggling to get to sleep, staying asleep, or waking too early, you may experience the following;
- Poor sleep can make us more likely to feel anxious, irritable, isolated, or depressed
- It can be harder to concentrate on work, studies, or activities like driving
- It can impair our judgement and decision making
- Poor sleep can increase arguments or conflict, affecting our relationships
- Lack of sleep can dull our memory
- Lack of energy, motivation, or engagement with the world around us
- It can make our behaviour erratic
- Increased risk-taking
Why is sleep important for mental health?
The main function of sleep is to recharge our brain and maintain our circadian rhythm, or sleep-wake cycle. Getting the right amount of sleep, and the best quality of sleep is important to our mental health for the following reasons;
- Poor sleep can increase our risk of mental illness
- We feel better after a good night’s sleep
- Sleep maintains our cognitive function, so we’re more capable of solving complex problems or overcoming challenges
- Improves learning
- Regulating our emotions
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How does sleep improve our mental health?
Sleep is crucial in regulating and optimising our biological functions, healing, and repairing the body. It improves our mental health by;
- Controlling insulin (blood sugar) levels which are linked to mood
- Supporting healthy growth and development
- Maintaining the immune system and our ability to fight off infection and disease
- Decreasing the risk of health problems that are linked with depression such as obesity and chronic illness
- Improving memory and mental resilience
- Processing stimuli such as events, emotions, sensations
Mental health problems caused by lack of sleep
Sleep problems are recognised as risk factors with mental disorders such as; depression, paranoia, OCD, drug and alcohol abuse, and more.
If you are struggling to cope or experiencing a mental health crisis, speak to your GP, go to A&E, or to speak to someone who can help and is available right now, click here for a comprehensive list of helplines.
