By Terrie Johnson | UAB Community Health & Human Services Intern

The connection between mental health and sleep quality is intricate and multifaceted, with a complex interplay of biological, psychological, and environmental factors that influence each other in various ways by affecting the release of stress hormones, altering mood-regulating brain chemicals, disrupting normal cognitive function, and interfering with the circadian rhythm. Sleep deprivation can increase the release of stress hormones, change mood-regulating brain chemicals, and disrupt normal cognitive function, ultimately leading to emotional instability and mood swings. Poor sleep quality is closely correlated with a broad spectrum of mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, and stress (Alshumrani et al., 2022). On the other hand, mental health disorders can adversely affect the quality of sleep, thus leading to insomnia or other sleep disturbances such as nightmares, sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome, and periodic limb movement disorder. While individuals with anxiety disorders often experience racing thoughts and restlessness that interfere with their ability to fall asleep, those with depression struggle to stay asleep due to recurring negative thoughts or nightmares. Moreover, certain medications used to treat mental health disorders, such as antidepressants or antipsychotics, substantially impact sleep quality by altering sleep architecture and disrupting the circadian rhythm (Alshumrani et al., 2022). Therefore, the relationship between mental health and sleep quality is intricate, as unsatisfactory sleep quality can lead to mental health challenges such as depression, anxiety, and stress, and mental health disorders may cause insomnia and other sleep disturbances due to symptoms like racing thoughts, restlessness, recurring negative views, and nightmares.

The interdependent nature of sleep quality and mental health underscores the importance of improving both domains in a comprehensive approach. Fortunately, several empirically supported strategies, such as practicing good sleep hygiene, have been developed to bolster both domains. To promote good sleep and ultimately improve mental health, individuals can engage in good sleep hygiene habits and practices, which entails adhering to a consistent sleep schedule, refraining from consuming caffeine and alcohol before bedtime, and creating a conducive environment for sleeping, such as maintaining a comfortable temperature and minimizing distractions (Nowakowski et al., 2022). Additionally, individuals can reduce anxiety and racing thoughts that may disrupt their sleep quality by practicing mindfulness meditation before bedtime, focusing on the present moment without judgment to mitigate symptoms of anxiety and depression, and improving sleep quality (Nowakowski et al., 2022). If implementing the strategies mentioned above does not alleviate sleep disruptions and mental health issues, one may opt to seek assistance from a healthcare professional who can accurately diagnose and manage any underlying mental health conditions that might be exacerbating sleep disturbances and possibly suggest alternative science-based treatments like Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I).

References

Alshumrani, R., Qanash, S., Aldobyany, A., Alhejaili, F., AlQassas, I., Shabrawishi, M., Alnashiwaty, O., Badghaish, M., Adnan, M., Afeef, A. B., Alghamdi, D., Aljehani, S., Alsurahi, A., Faruqui, A., Krayem, A., Manzar, M. D., & Wali, S. (2022). Sleep quality and mental health in coronavirus disease 2019 patients and general population during the pandemic. Annals of Thoracic Medicine, 17(1), 21–27. https://doi.org/10.4103/atm.atm_191_21

Nowakowski, S., Kokonda, M., Sultana, R., Duong, B. B., Nagy, S. E., Zaidan, M. F., Baig, M. M., Grigg, B. V., Seashore, J., & Deer, R. R. (2022). Association between sleep quality and mental health among patients at a post-COVID-19 recovery clinic. Brain Sciences, 12(5), 586. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci12050586