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Mackenzie Donoher

Prof. Hellmers

English Comp II

5 May 2022

How Does Sleep Deprivation Affect Mental Health?

As defined in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, sleep deprivation is “not getting enough

sleep” (“Sleep-Deprived Definition & Meaning”). This seems like a very familiar term with most

people, as they likely face this problem nearly every day. Although, many people are unaware of

the damaging effects it can have on your mental health. Sleep deprivation has an overall negative

affect on mental health due to its strong correlation with different mental illnesses and all the

emotional distress that it can cause.

It is important to note how relevant this problem is and that it affects nearly everyone

across the globe. Sleep deprivation is said to be an “epidemic” for teenagers, and it isn’t exactly

their fault– the problem is not just a simple fix. You may be thinking that people should just go

to sleep earlier, and this would solve all their problems. However, there are many causes for

sleep deprivation, one very prominent one being the average school start times across the US–

which is a topic for another time.

A factor to understanding the more complex effects of sleep deprivation, includes first

understanding how it works and its immediate effects. Sleep deprivation has many terrible

consequences that follow it including, “memory and performance issues”, “stress and

depression”, and even “high blood pressure” (“The Expense of Sleep Deprivation”). These
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symptoms can in turn create teenagers to be “functionally useless”, “irritable”, and probably not

capable of properly driving their cars (Troxel). Although none of these initial effects seem to be

directly affecting or harming one’s mental health, it is evident that those problems could be a

result of sleep deprivation.

Sleep deprivation and mental illnesses are very closely correlated, adding to the claim

that this chronic lack of sleep can lead to mental distress. When thinking more about how exactly

this is affecting your mental health, it just gets more complex.

The illnesses correlated with sleep deprivation include anxiety, depression, OCD, bipolar

disorder, ADHD, schizophrenia, and substance abuse (Carpenter). Obstructive sleep apnea has

also been found to increase the risk of “serious mental distress” (Suni). Anxiety is very closely

connected with sleep in general and even “paired with insomnia”. Any type of sleep loss can lead

to anxiety. In a study, “46% of children with sleep problems formed an anxiety disorder later in

life”. Also out of all of the patients diagnosed with anxiety disorders, 50% are also diagnosed

with sleep disorders– and that is only including the people that have been diagnosed. A common

misconception about depression is that everyone struggling with it is constantly sleeping and

“sleeps more than usual”. Although this can be true, for those facing depression, it is also very

“common to experience insomnia”. When looking at the statistics, “83% of depressed patients

have at least one insomnia symptom” and 65-90% of all people with depression experience some

type of sleep disorder. With this, insomnia has also been found to be a direct cause of depression

and anxiety. Although it is unclear which one, either sleep issues or OCD, are the cause or effect

of this issue, “those with OCD struggle with getting a good night’s sleep”. It is even said that,
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“children with OCD sleep 1 hour less on average and stay awake twice as long during middle-of-

the-night wakeups”. For people with bipolar disorder, “patients get extremely limited sleep

during manic periods”– this goes for about 69-99% of those patients. Overall, “70% of people

with BPD experience sleep difficulties”. Regarding ADHD, sleep can be very problematic and,

“between 5 and 39 percent of ADHD cases could be attributed to sleep-disordered breathing”.

Schizophrenia and sleep deprivation have very similar symptoms, so deciding if they are related,

direct causes or effects of the other, or you only are faced with one of them can be challenging.

“About 36 percent of schizophrenia patients have at least one type of insomnia”, so the two do

seem to be related. In a study it was shown that “over half of those battling substance abuse

experienced moderate-to-severe insomnia, sleep apnea, or both” (Carpenter).

Although this information doesn’t prove that sleep deprivation causes these mental

illnesses, it very clearly shows that they are strongly correlated. All of these mental health

problems are also increased by insufficient sleep and information was found proving that “sleep

problems contribute to onset and worsening mental health problems” (Dr. Zakarian). It is very

fair to make the claim that sleep deprivation does have negative effects on numerous mental

illnesses, and is possibly the root of some of those problems.

Researchers at Columbia found, “poor sleep makes it more difficult to cope with stress

and regulate emotions” (Dr. Zakarian). Therefore, the lack of sleep caused by sleep deprivation

can mess with one’s emotions, which in the end can, and likely will, harm their mental health.

Many other researchers also found that sleep is “closely linked to mental and emotional health”

and have found that “brain activity during sleep has profound effects on emotional and mental
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health” (Suni). This is why we “feel better after ‘a good night’s sleep’ and more grumpy or foggy

if sleep deprived” (Dr. Zakarian). I’m sure this is a feeling many people have faced and

remember having, you wake up after getting a sufficient amount of sleep, especially more than

normal, and for some reason you are in a good mood. You also probably have faced the opposite;

maybe you were up all night working on a research paper and got a very insufficient amount of

rest, causing you to be extremely grumpy in the morning– your amount of sleep seems to be in

control of your emotions.

When thinking back to when you were just a baby, or just thinking about babies in

general, you likely think of sleep. Babies are constantly sleeping, well, hopefully. They take

multiple naps a day and go to bed fairly early in the evening. Some even like to refer to the

saying, “I slept like a baby” when they get a good night's sleep. Or maybe, you thought about

when babies don’t sleep, and how they act without it; we all know that“tired small children are a

nightmare to look after”. Young children have a “sensitivity to a shortfall of sleep”, and as we

grow, we are “just like our younger selves”. This “sensitivity” greatly affects our emotional state;

“what can determine the difference between madness and sanity may be nothing grander, but

then again nothing more critical, than how long our minds have been allowed to lie on a pillow

in the preceding hours” (The School of Life).

The interesting thing about this response to sleep deprivation, is that it seems to be a bit

more unexpected than the others. We can get angry and “go mad” without even realizing it is due

to exhaustion. The way our brains work when we are facing sleep deprivation is just overall
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sloppy and not like our true selves, in turn, “it hands victory to the evangelist of sadness” (The

School of Life).

The actual act of sleeping and rest is not the only thing that we need. It is what leads to

the slumber that is truly most important for our emotional and mental well-being. While curling

up in bed, resting our eyes and working to fall asleep, our brains go crazy and think about all

things imaginable. This time can, and should be, a time spent in reflection and self-care. This is a

time we as humans can spend exploring our minds and working to better ourselves on the

emotional level. This is a time where we can just think– in a completely safe space– with zero

distractions.

The strongest point that is claimed by nearly every research article on this topic is that

humans need sleep. It is stated time and time again in all the articles that lack of sleep causes

mental distress; “our mental wellbeing relies on sleep” (Carpenter). It is a pretty simple

conclusion to form that sleep affects one’s mental state, and is critical to mental health (Dr.

Zakarian). A study done in East Asia was able to find that “sleep quality directly correlated with

mental health” . Although, they were also found to correlate indirectly. One point that was

enforced frequently in the study was “sleep-quality is associated with well-being”. (Zhao)

Regarding mental health, “sleeping is a key contributor to st”, which makes you think a

bit deeper (Carpenter). If sleep is being used to treat mental illness, then could it be used to

prevent it as well?

There have been studies proving that doctors will have a better chance at treating mental

illnesses when first “assessing sleep issues”. This is claiming that “treating your insomnia might
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also play a part in treating mental disorder” (Carpenter). When people get more consistent and

overall better sleep, they become more present in their day to day lives, resulting in an incline in

their mental well-being. Many articles went on to add some type of advice to help with these

issues caused by sleep deprivation. The study researchers stated, “high quality sleep should be

prioritized to improve overall well-being” (Zhao). The School of Life video claimed that humans

must “take our need for sleep seriously” (O’Brien). This is because “it (sleep) rules our lives”

(Carpenter).

Basically the claim is being made that “healthy sleep habits are essential to brain health”

(Carpenter). This is stressing how truly important it is for humans to get adequate sleep, rather

than being sleep deprived. This would then result in a much lower chance of facing many

different mental illnesses or being faced with problems regarding your mental health in general.

Many articles have stated the idea that mental health and sleep have a “bidirectional

relationship” (Suni). This means that although it is said that poor sleep causes mental health

problems, mental health problems also can cause poor sleep (Dr. Zakarian). The findings are

mostly proving that it can go both ways. With this information, it becomes harder to conclude if

one or the other is correct, but after much more research, sleep deprivation seems to be “both a

cause and consequence of mental health issues” (Suni).

Getting a good amount of sleep can have a huge impact on one’s mental health and

overall wellbeing. When thinking back to a time in your life that you missed out on sleep, you

were likely very sensitive, overly emotional, and just irritable. Although you didn’t directly think

that your mental health was suffering from the lack of sleep, in the grand scheme of things, it
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was. Your mental health is based on your emotions and mental wellbeing. These actions that are

caused by sleep deprivation can be caused by a suffering mental health or even be causing more

mental health issues.

With less sleep comes a lot more stress. Although sometimes stress can be a good thing,

this isn’t the good type of stress. Stress can cause an overload of emotions, which is then again

harming your mental health. This stress causes you to almost sulk in your tiredness and really be

able to feel those hours of sleep that you missed out on.

When you are sleeping, you are resting your brain and preparing it for the next day. Even

if you don’t get enough sleep before a big day, your brain still has to do all of that work, it will

just be tired. Continually not allowing your brain to rest, will keep pushing it to the point where

it is constantly tired and causing you to act out in different ways. It will also be harmful to your

brain health, or your mental health.

While sleep deprivation isn’t found to be the complete cause of mental health issues, it

merely “sets the stage”, a “good night’s sleep helps foster emotional and mental resilience”.

Thus, improving one’s mental health. (www.rtor.org).

There are definitely people out there that struggle with mental illnesses, yet seem to sleep

perfectly fine. They might not even have any type of sleep insomnia, but are still facing their

horrible emotions and mental disorders. However, this is “just 16.4 percent” having “no sleep

disorder paired with their mental illness” (Sleep Disorders and Mental Illness go Hand and

Hand). One thing that might contrast this is that depression causes people to be sleeping

excessive amounts, which comes off as much more than the recommended amount of sleep.
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However, this just happens for periods of time through depressive episodes, and isn’t the cause

of the depression.

When taking all of the research into consideration and connecting it back with the

question, “how does sleep deprivation affect mental health”, it is fair to claim that sleep

deprivation has bad effects on mental health, and can cause distress and certain illnesses, and

research can back those statements up. There is no doubt that the two correlate with each other,

but the exact details can be challenging to decipher at times. A final declaration, stating that

sleep deprivation results in a negative effect towards one’s mental health, would be challenging

to debate when acknowledging all of the points made and how mental health and sleep are

connected through differ mental illnesses, the emotional impacts, and the dire need for sleep.
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Works Cited

Carpenter, Jess. “Are Sleep and Mental Health Related?” Sleep Advisor, 18 Mar. 2022,

https://www.sleepadvisor.org/sleep-and-mental-health/#:~:text=While%20lack

%20of%20sleep%20hasn%E2%80%99t%20been%20proven%20to,one.

%2003%20Insomnia%3A%20Is%20it%20a%20Mental%20Illness%3F.

Christiansen, Wayne J. “Immediate Effects of Sleep Deprivation.” Spy, 29 July 2020,

http://spy-js.com/immediate-effects-of-sleep-deprivation/.

Dr. Zakarian. “How Sleep Deprivation Impacts Mental Health.” Columbia University

Department of Psychiatry, 16 Mar. 2022,

https://www.columbiapsychiatry.org/news/how-sleep-deprivation-affects-your-

mental-health.

O'Brien, Hannah, director. Sleep and Mental Health. Youtube, The School of Life, 2021,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=236eHGCSPvI. Accessed 2022.

“Sleep-Deprived Definition & Meaning.” Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster,

www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sleep-deprived.

“Sleep Disorders and Mental Illness Go Hand in Hand: Brain: UT Southwestern Medical

Center.” Brain | UT Southwestern Medical Center, 2017,

https://utswmed.org/medblog/sleep-disorders-mental-illness/.

Suni, Eric. “Mental Health and Sleep.” Sleep Foundation, 11 Mar. 2022,

https://www.sleepfoundation.org/mental-health.
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www.rtor.org, Guest Author for. “How Can Sleep Deprivation Affect Your Mental

Health?” Resources To Recover, 27 Sept. 2019,

https://www.rtor.org/2019/09/25/sleep-deprivation/#:~:text=And%20while%20the

%20connection%20between%20sleep%20and%20mental,for%20depression%2C

%20negative%20thinking%2C%20emotional%20vulnerability%2C%20and

%20anxiety.

Zhao, Yiqing, et al. “The Relationships between Sleep and Mental and Physical Health of

Chinese Elderly: Exploring the Mediating Roles of Diet and Physical Activity.”

Nutrients, vol. 13, no. 4, 2021, p. 1316., https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13041316.