How Sleep Impacts Mood

At some point in your life, you’ve probably experienced that feeling of over-exhaustion and restlessness from not getting a good night’s sleep. This is an annoying and uncomfortable feeling, and for some it can be a more constant issue as sleep doesn’t always come so naturally.

Sleep is important for good health. A sleep deficit has an influence on mental health, job performance, nutrition, physical activity, social interactions, and many other activities. Chronic lack of sleep can lead to a number of medical conditions as well as poorer mental and physical performance. The reasons for this are not completely understood, but one can imagine that since sleep rejuvenates the body and prepares it for the day to come, in its absence the body produces slower responses and requires more energy to undertake simple tasks. The brain consolidates learned information while sleeping, and sleep increases the immune response and resilience to stress. Consider lack of sleep as a condition during which the whole body cannot function at its full capacity. For example, the brain’s function and control centers are unable to perform as well as they could when rested, so repressing negative emotions and absorbing emotional experiences becomes a much more difficult task.

As an added layer of difficulty, when we’re tired it is more difficult to perform physically demanding and mentally stimulating activities that increase mood and decrease depression. These activities are no longer able to cheer us up as we simply don’t have the energy to do them.

Tips to help you get better sleep:

1. Focus on both the quality and quantity of sleep. Aim to get around 9 hours of quality sleep per night, as a longer night’s sleep is associated with better health outcomes. When it’s not possible to get such a long night’s sleep, at the very least, ensure that you are in a comfortable, quiet, and cozy environment that can allow you to have a deep and restful sleep.
2. Part of increasing the quality of sleep is to have a healthy routine before bed and upon waking. Social media use and screen time in general before bed can lead to negative thoughts and is also harsh on the visual system. Take some time before going to bed and even after getting up in the morning to avoid screen usage, and this may help with relaxation and restfulness.
3. Identify and use cognitive strategies to help you fall asleep, such as self-talk, keeping a sleep log, and stress management.
4. Meditation can come in many forms from breathing exercises, to listening to a soothing voice, to journaling. Find a method that works well for you and stick with it – implement it into your daily routine and use it to calm your mind.
5. Take good care of your body. Healthy eating habits and exercise contribute to normal hormone levels that influence the circadian rhythm (sleep cycle). Human physiology is all connected from the mind to the body. When you focus on the habits that can be improved by making changes to your diet, mealtimes, and amount of exercise, other habits like sleep will automatically benefit.