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Lyndsey Kelly

Dr. Adrienne Cassel

ENG 1201.501

04 March 2020

How Does Sleep Affect our Mental Health?

Since the beginning of time, humans have needed sleep to function. Before the creation

of electricity, our ancestors relied on our circadian rhythm to regulate sleep, but with an

ever-changing world, it is getting harder and harder for some people to get the sleep they need

both mentally and physically. We all know sleep is vital for our physical health, but little is

taught about how it affects us on the inside. How does sleep affect our mental health?

In order to understand the effects of sleep on mental health, it is important to know the

basics of sleep and wakefulness. While we are awake, our brains are constantly working, and all

these tasks tend to build up, causing a sort of debris during periods of wakefulness. During sleep,

humans enter a period of extreme restoration and rejuvenation both physically and mentally,

allowing this build up in the brain to clear out. Physically, sleep helps reenergize cells, and is

also linked to the relief of vascular and other common stresses. Mentally, sleep is linked to

dozens of functions that help upkeep our cognitive abilities, like memory processing and

problem solving functions. While we sleep “our brains replay, process, learn, and extract

meaning” (Konnikova). Sleep is a crucial component to everyday life; without sleep humans

would not be able to function physically or mentally.

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Sleep disturbances are a very common problem in patients with and without mental

health issues. Sleep disturbances differ from sleep disorders because they are not “clinically

concerning” and are “defined as ​trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking up too early​”

(Milojevich). Patients with symptoms of sleep disturbances are often reported to have common

mental illnesses like anxiety and depression. Another common finding is that sleep disturbances

and mental disorders are correlated, but do not cause one or the other. For example, researchers

state that there is a “bidirectional relationship between sleep disturbances and psychiatric

disorders” (Winokur 611). Each patient is unique in their own diagnosis, making it hard to

pinpoint exactly how sleep and mental disorders relate; however, it is clear that the presence of

one makes the chance for the other higher. Scientists agree that sleep disturbances are often

associated with the most common mental illnesses, and that both sleep disturbances and mental

disorders are closely related.

While most studies focus on how poor sleep quality relates to mental illness, there is

some research that suggests differently. In a self-reported study on undergraduate students,

mental health problems were found to be prominent “​both in students with sleep problems and in

those with generally healthy sleep habits” (Milojevich). However, it is important to note that

undergraduate students are in a transitional period of life, leaving them vulnerable to mental

illness. In this situation, some students’ mental illness may have been caused by their

environment or situation, rather than their sleep habits. This study contradicts many other studies

that state that sleep problems are a causing factor in mental illnesses, and that “improving sleep

should benefit psychological health” (Freeman 749). Although this study on undergraduate

students may be controversial with others, it proves that there are many causes of mental illness,
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and having healthy sleep habits may not be enough to combat the development of a mental

disorder.

Dozens of people claim to get an adequate amount of sleep, but are still experiencing

tiredness, irritability, anxiety, and depression. This is likely because of a popular myth that

humans can catch up on sleep on weekends or days off. In reality, trying to catch up on those

missed hours results “in jet-lag like symptoms” (England). Because of these symptoms, most

humans develop a large deficit of sleep, causing prolonged sleep deprivation. This is dangerous

because ​“sleep deprivation, mood disturbance, and impaired concentration and self-regulatory

skills can spiral into more severe symptoms of impairment” (England). Instead of trying to catch

up on sleep, it is healthier to regulate sleep patterns, and get the same amount of adequate sleep

every night.

Overall, sleep can positively and negatively affect our mental health. When humans get a

healthy amount of uninterrupted sleep, they feel fresh, rejuvenated, and happier. However, when

humans get little to no sleep, or are interrupted throughout the night, irritability and negative

thoughts persist. I would like to further explore the physical aspects of sleep and sleep disorders,

and how physical sleep problems, like sleep apnea, can still affect us mentally.

After completing the research paper, I added a few more sources. Most of the sources

were for background information, or for simple ways to improve both sleep and mental health.

The Harvard source was the most helpful in providing statistics about both sleep and mental

health. The article from Satu Woodland also proved very helpful as it explained Cognitive

Behavioral Therapy, which is a topic I often came across during my research process. Overall,
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the sources I added deepened my understanding of mental health and sleep, and how to improve

both.
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Works Cited

Del Rio João, et al. “Sleep Quality Components and Mental Health: Study with a Non-Clinical

Population.” ​Psychiatry Research​, vol. 269, Nov. 2018, pp. 244–250. ​EBSCOhost​,

doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2018.08.020. Accessed 26 Feb. 2020.

England, Mary Jane, et al. “Blueprint for Change: Research on Child and Adolescent Mental

Health.” ​National Institute of Mental Health,​ U.S. Department of Health and Human

Services, 2001,

www.nimh.nih.gov/about/advisory-boards-and-groups/namhc/reports/blueprint-for-chang

e-research-on-child-and-adolescent-mental-health.shtml#ch-ii-b-2. Accessed 28 Feb.

2020.

Freeman, Daniel, et al. “The Effects Of Improving Sleep On Mental Health (OASIS): A

Randomised Controlled Trial With Meditation Analysis.” ​The Lancet Psychiatry,​ vol. 4,

no. 10, 2017, pp. 749-758. Accessed 28 Feb. 2020.

Harvard Health Publishing. “Sleep and Mental Health.” ​Harvard Health​, 18 Mar. 2019,

www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/sleep-and-mental-health. Accessed 29 Feb.

2020.

Konnikova, Maria. “The Work We Do While We Sleep.” ​The New Yorker,​ 8 Jul. 2015,

www.newyorker.com/science/maria-konnikova/why-we-sleep. Accessed 28 Feb. 2020.

Milojevich, Helen M, and Angela F Lukowski. “Sleep and Mental Health in Undergraduate

Students with Generally Healthy Sleep Habits.” ​PloS one​ vol. 11, no. 6, e0156372. 9

Jun. 2016, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0156372. Accessed 29 Feb. 2020.

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University of Michigan. “Ten Things You Can Do for Your Mental Health.” ​University of

Michigan: University Health Service,​ ​www.uhs.umich.edu/tenthings​. Accessed 02 Apr.

2020.

Winokur, Andrew, and Jayesh Kamath. ​Sleep Disorders and Mental Health: An Issue of

Psychiatric Clinics of North America​, Elsevier, vol. 38, no. 4, 2015. Accessed 28 Feb.

2020.

Woodland, Satu. “Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for ADHD.” ​Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for

ADHD: Hope Mental Health: Psychiatric Mental Health Specialists,​

www.hopementalhealth.com/blog/cognitive-behavioral-therapy-improves-adhd-scores​.

Accessed 02 Apr. 2020.