Between work, family and everything else keeping you busy and stressed, it’s not as easy to get enough sleep every night the way it seemed to be as a kid. Research shows that the pandemic has made this worse, with around 37% of adults reporting symptoms of clinical insomnia, the most common sleep disorder among adults. Another 17% reported symptoms of likely insomnia.
While a few nights of poor sleep might not have a lasting impact on your health, there’s a negative connection between ongoing sleep deprivation and mental health. People with diagnosed mental health disorders such as anxiety and depression are more likely to struggle with their sleep. But sleep deprivation can also be a symptom of other serious conditions.
Sleep Problems Can Be a Sign of a Serious Mental Problem
Ongoing insomnia can be triggered by a number of things like stress, jet lag, and certain medications. But sometimes sleep deprivation is a symptom of another medical condition. Sleep disturbances are often a prodromal symptom, an early indicator, of depression. Sleep problems are also common in anxiety, trauma, pain, and addiction, and can be a symptom of bipolar disorder.
University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) researchers have begun investigating the relationship between sleep and mental health. One of their studies found that the way tryptophan is metabolized through a certain neural pathway may be key to improving sleep and cognitive function for patients with schizophrenia.
An ongoing lack of sleep can be dangerous for anyone, but people with certain mental health disorders may be more prone to manic or psychotic episodes, including hallucinations and delusions. It is important to seek prompt medical care if you notice any symptoms of a mental break after a period of sleeplessness or if you have known risk factors for schizophrenia.
Even Minor Sleep Problems Can Affect Your Mental Health
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), most adults need at least seven hours of sleep per night to function adequately. Recent research found that people who reported sleeping six hours or less were 2.5 times likelier to also report frequent mental distress.
For people without mental health disorders, this distress might not be as severe as hallucinating, but it can lead to other issues.
Lack of sleep can cause several emotional and cognitive effects, including:
- Difficulty making decisions
- Increased anxiety
- Increased risk-taking behavior
- Irritability
- Mood swings
- Poor problem-solving skills
There is also a connection between sleep deprivation and increased instances of depression, and, for some people, even suicide. Lack of sleep can also worsen symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
One of the conundrums of getting too little sleep is that it can become a self-reinforcing cycle. If you’re dealing with a lot of stress, and due to that stress, you don’t get enough sleep, you’re likely to feel even more stressed. And if the lack of sleep causes poor functioning at work or poor decision-making in your personal life, your stress levels can increase, and your sleep can continue to decrease, and on and on the cycle continues.
Poor Sleep Can Also Affect Your Physical Health
Your mood and your brain function aren’t the only factors to be affected by lack of sleep. Poor sleep can negatively affect your physical health. There appear to be connections between sleep deprivation and chronic conditions such as:
- Diabetes
- Heart disease
- High blood pressure (hypertension)
- Obesity and weight gain
- Premature death
Poor sleep has also been linked to an increased risk of breast and colon cancer. Of course, insomnia or other sleep disorders can also be caused by health problems, such as:
- Arthritis or joint pain
- COPD
- Heart disease
- Restless leg syndrome
- Sleep apnea
- Urinary incontinence
It is important to see a doctor for ongoing sleep problems to find out if an underlying medical issue is the root cause of your sleep deprivation.
Sleep Matters for Kids’ Mental Health, Too
It’s important to pay attention to your child’s sleep patterns as they grow up because sleep deprivation can have serious consequences. Research shows that a lack of sleep affects the mental health of children and teenagers much the same way it affects adults.
In one recent study, UMSOM researchers found that elementary school-age children between 6 and 12 who do not get an average of nine hours or more of nightly sleep had more mental health struggles with anxiety, depression and impulsive behavior. More troublingly, MRI scans showed that the children who got less sleep had smaller brain volume in the parts of the organ that regulate attention, memory, mood control and impulsiveness. Even after two years, the brains still showed smaller volume in those areas, which could signal long-term impacts.
Research is ongoing to see if there is permanent damage, or if the brain changes can be reversed over time. But parents don’t need to wait to start prioritizing their kids’ sleep over homework or extracurricular activities. A pediatrician may also be able to help.
Practice Healthy Sleep Habits
If you’ve been having trouble getting a good night’s sleep, the first place to start is with your sleep habits. Many people may find a few simple changes make the difference between getting six hours and getting eight hours of sleep.
- Avoid alcohol and limit caffeine after 12 p.m.
- Don’t eat too close to bedtime.
- Exercise daily, but not too close to your bedtime.
- Keep your bedroom cool, dark, quiet, and uncluttered.
- Go to bed and get up at the same time every night, even on weekends or days you aren’t working or in school.
- Put away your phone, computer, television—anything with screens—at least an hour before bed.
- Try journaling about your anxieties to get them on paper to help get them out of your head.
There Is Help for Sleep Disorders
If you or a member of your family is struggling with getting enough sleep, you don’t need to suffer in silence. Getting too little sleep may be celebrated in some parts of business culture, but the reality is that it will only make you less productive. And if your mental health starts to suffer seriously from lack of sleep, you might be miserable at both home and work.
The good news is that insomnia and other sleep disorders can be treated at the UM Sleep Disorders Center at the Midtown Campus. Treating your sleep deprivation starts with a full assessment of your physical health, looking at possible causes that might have been overlooked. Figuring out the underlying cause of your sleep deficit, whether it is a mental health disorder or a common problem such as sleep apnea, is the most important step if more conservative methods have not succeeded. Treatment could include:
- Cognitive behavioral therapy
- Lifestyle changes
- Light therapy
- Medication
- Sleep studies
When needed, UMMC-Midtown sleep specialists will work with providers in other departments to ensure you receive comprehensive care.
More to Read
- Expert Tips on How to Sleep Better
- Understanding Sleep Paralysis
- How to Cope with Menopause Sleep Problems
- Always Tired? You Could Have Sleep Apnea.
Medically reviewed by Emerson M. Wickwire, PhD, ABPP, CBSM, DBSM
