An Overnight Recovery: 5 Ways Sleep Affects Your Mental Health

If you feel as though you regularly struggle to achieve a restful night of sleep, you’re not alone. About one-third of the world’s population is afflicted with sleep problems. However, the damage done by night after night of poor sleeping quality can have significant impacts on not just your physical health but your mental health as well.

Keys to a Better Night’s Sleep

It might feel impossible to exercise control over your insomnia or sleep problems, but there are many factors you can affect that contribute to achieving restful and rejuvenating sleep. One of the biggest reasons why people don’t sleep well is due to their beds. An old, sagging mattress or flat pillow can leave you feeling uncomfortable, preventing you from falling asleep. Investing in a memory foam mattress or a high-quality pillow can help align your spine and neck for ultimate comfort.

Sticking to a sleep schedule is another excellent way to ensure that you’re able to sleep a healthy amount. Find a bedtime that ensures you’ll receive about eight hours of shut-eye every night. Enforce this schedule regardless of whether you’re waking up for work or on your relaxing day off. If you’re unable to fall asleep within 20 minutes of lying down to sleep, leave your bedroom and try to engage in relaxing activities like journaling or preparing a warm beverage to sip on.

Hormone Disruption

One of the most significant ways poor sleep impacts mental health is how it affects the production of hormones in the brain. Lack of sleep primarily impacts the endocrine system, a system guided by messaging from the hypothalamus to produce and regulate the hormones that allow us to function. The hypothalamus communicates most of its critical instructions while you’re asleep. While there are many hormones the endocrine system is responsible for, cortisol, which influences your stress levels, is one of the most important.

Stress

Stress and sleep have a tightly intertwined relationship. Not only does insufficient sleep impact your stress levels, but stress can also affect the quality of your sleep. Waking up after a night of tossing and turning can leave you feeling irritable and tense. You might find yourself overreacting in response to minor issues that pop up in everyday life or snapping at the people around you in a minor dispute. It’s vital to prioritize healthy sleeping habits to avoid feeling overly stressed daily.

Depression

Similar to stress and insominia, depression and sleep deprivation have a cyclical relationship. Someone who struggles with depression may find themselves burdened with insomnia. However, studies also show that people who don’t sleep well are majorly at risk of developing depression. Research has shown that it may be possible to curb the development of depression by treating the underlying issue of insomnia. Seeking out cognitive-behavioral therapy to treat your sleep deprivation issues may be an effective way of helping you sleep better and reducing your risk of depression.

Anxiety Disorders

If you’re someone who already struggles with anxiety, a lack of sleep could exacerbate your symptoms. Without enough sleep, even people without anxiety disorders wake up feeling agitated. Poor sleep prevents you from coping with feelings of anxiety effectively, and if you’re using stimulants like caffeine to wake yourself up, you may be further compounding your symptoms.

ADHD

For those diagnosed with ADHD, poor sleeping habits can aggravate common ADHD symptoms like behavioral issues and short attention spans. However, the relationship between sleep and ADHD is bidirectional. Studies show that sleep disturbances may act as a predictor of ADHD, and many people who have been diagnosed have a higher risk of sleeping problems like restless leg syndrome. ADHD medication and therapy can help you manage any ADHD symptoms that prevent you from achieving a good night’s sleep.

The Bottom Line

Without healthy sleeping habits, you may find yourself struggling with your mental health. As an essential function for the human body’s health, it’s crucial to prioritize your sleep hygiene and receive the recommended amount of sleep each night. You’ll wake up every day feeling happier and better equipped to handle what the day has in store.