Updated February 12, 2026
By: Laura Eshelman
The 16th-century British playwright Thomas Dekker once wrote, “Sleep is the golden chain that ties health and our bodies together.” Long before modern neuroscience, thinkers understood what research continues to confirm today: sleep is foundational to both physical and mental health.
From ancient Greece, where Hippocrates named sleep as one of the six essential pillars of health, to present-day clinical research, the connection between sleep and wellbeing has remained consistent. But how does sleep affect mental health specifically, and why does sleep hygiene matter so much in today’s culture?
How Does Sleep Affect Brain Function?
Research shows that sleep does have a big impact on mental health and plays a direct role in mood regulation, emotional resilience, and cognitive performance. Adequate rest supports memory, learning, focus, and decision-making, while insufficient or fragmented sleep is associated with increased anxiety, depression, and irritability.
Emerging research also highlights the brain’s waste-removal system, which becomes active during deep sleep. During this process, the brain clears metabolic waste products, including amyloid proteins linked to Alzheimer’s disease. Interrupted or shortened sleep reduces the efficiency of this system and may increase long-term risk for depression and neurodegenerative conditions. Research suggests that the way sleep affects mental health becomes especially important with age, as adults over 50 who regularly sleep five or fewer hours per night face a significantly higher risk of developing dementia compared to those who get quality sleep.
Sleep Deprivation as a Cultural Norm
In a society that prioritizes productivity, long work hours, and constant availability, chronic sleep deprivation has become increasingly common. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends at least seven hours of sleep per night for adults, yet more than one-third of U.S. adults consistently fall short of that benchmark.
Between 10 and 30 percent of adults report difficulty falling or staying asleep, and up to 90 percent keep electronic devices in their bedrooms, disrupting essential sleep cycles. Many adults report feeling fatigued during peak daytime hours several days each week, a pattern that is especially common among individuals working nontraditional hours.
Younger adults, in particular, appear increasingly vulnerable to the long-term mental health consequences of chronic sleep disruption. Even when total sleep time appears sufficient, quality matters. Exposure to blue light from phones, televisions, and laptops can interfere with melatonin production and circadian rhythms, disrupting restorative sleep stages and highlighting how sleep can affect mental health. This means that seven hours of sleep may still leave the brain under-rested if sleep cycles are repeatedly interrupted.
How Sleep Affects Existing Mental Health Conditions
The relationship between sleep and mental health becomes especially significant for individuals living with diagnosed conditions. Regular, restorative sleep can reduce symptom severity in conditions such as bipolar, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), schizophrenia, anxiety, and depression. Conversely, disrupted sleep affects mental health by intensifying emotional dysregulation, cognitive strain, and stress sensitivity.
Some research also suggests that individuals who routinely stay up late may engage in behaviors that further compromise sleep quality and mental health, including late-night eating, alcohol use, or increased screen exposure, creating a reinforcing cycle that impacts both sleep and mental health.
CooperRiis Supports Rest & Recovery Through an Integrative Approach
For individuals whose sleep challenges and mental health concerns feel difficult to manage independently, a “whole person, whole body” approach can make a meaningful difference. In our residential programs, how sleep affects holistic health is addressed within the context of daily rhythm, mental health care, nutrition, and lifestyle support.
Staff and clinical teams at CooperRiis work collaboratively with residents to rebuild sustainable routines that promote restorative sleep. Support may include structured schedules, balanced nutrition, reduced stimulant intake, mindful technology use, therapeutic practices, and individualized medication or supplement support when appropriate. These habits are practiced consistently within the CooperRiis community setting, helping residents establish patterns that support long-term mental health beyond their time in residence.
Identifying and sustaining healthy sleep routines often takes patience, experimentation, and support. Yet the benefits of consistent, high-quality rest are significant at every stage of life. Adequate quality of sleep supports mental health in much bigger ways than we give it credit for. For individuals seeking greater emotional stability, cognitive clarity, long-term brain health, and mental health goals, prioritizing sleep is essential.