Why Sleep Matters for Your Mental Health (and Why It’s Not Always Easy to Get Enough)
- Jessica Schladt
- Nov 18
- 3 min read
As I’m writing this, I’m slightly sleep-deprived thanks to particular creatures in my home who do not grasp the importance of sleep for others. Sleep isn’t just something I talk about with clients; it's something I'm actively navigating myself.
This morning, I noticed my frustration tolerance was lower, my irritability was higher, and I was leaning toward negative conclusions and all-or-nothing thinking. And honestly? This is extremely common when a person is sleep-deprived. It’s one of the clearest examples of why sleep matters for mental health and how poor sleep can shift our emotional baseline.
How Sleep Affects Mood, Thinking, and Emotional Regulation
For many adults, the typical recommendation is somewhere between 7–9 hours of sleep a night. Some people need a little more, some need a little less, but if you're not getting what your body needs, you're going to feel the effects. And often, we don’t realize just how much our exhaustion is impacting us because chronic tiredness becomes the norm. When tired becomes normal, “better” stops being noticeable.
Part of what I explore with clients is sleep hygiene, not in a rigid “do these 12 steps perfectly” way, but through curiosity:
What helps your body settle?
What makes your mind spin?
What is realistically doable in your life right now?
Sleep isn’t just a physical health issue. It affects the brain’s ability to regulate emotions, build insight in therapy, and separate actual mental health symptoms from simple exhaustion. When your mind is sluggish, it’s harder to reflect, learn new skills, or challenge a negative thought. When you're overtired, your brain has to work harder to manage emotions, and the effects of poor sleep on mood can show up as irritability, sadness, low motivation, or feeling emotionally flooded.
Sometimes clients ask, “Is this depression… or am I just tired?” And the answer is often, “It might be both.” Sleep and mental health are deeply interconnected, and improving sleep can help us eliminate variables and get a clearer understanding of what’s really going on.
Let’s Be Clear: Poor Sleep Is Not a Character Flaw
This is not a “just fix your sleep” lecture. Not even close. There are so many real, valid reasons people struggle with sleep:
Anxiety makes your brain run marathons at 11 p.m.
Parents stay up late because it’s the only quiet time they get all day.
Phones and apps are literally designed to keep your eyeballs glued to the screen.
The mental load of the day doesn’t magically shut off when the lights do.
Stress loops replay conversations, to-do lists, and worries.
This is a shame-free zone. Your difficulty sleeping isn’t a moral failing—it’s a reflection of being a human with responsibilities, stress, and a nervous system trying its best.
The Truth: There’s No One-Size-Fits-All Sleep Formula
If you search the internet for “how to sleep better,” you'll find endless suggestions. Many of them are great. Many of them contradict each other. Why? Because human bodies are different.
Some examples:
Reading before bed. Helpful for some. Disastrous for others who get sucked into “just one more chapter” until it’s 2 a.m.
Hot shower before bed. Calms some people. Completely wakes others up.
Background TV or white noise. Comforting to some. Blue-light torture for others.
There’s no single routine that works for everyone. And that’s okay. Sleep hygiene is about experimenting, noticing, and adjusting, not forcing yourself into a routine that clearly isn’t working.
Here are two reputable resources for exploring evidence-based sleep hygiene tips:
Use them the same way you use this blog: take what fits, discard what doesn’t.
Why Sleep Matters in Therapy, Too
Therapy is hard work. It requires emotional awareness, reflection, openness, and the ability to stay present; all skills that depend heavily on sleep and emotional regulation.
When you’re exhausted:
It’s harder to think clearly.
Insight comes more slowly.
Emotions feel bigger, heavier, and harder to manage.
Everything feels more personal.
We default to survival mode instead of growth mode.
This isn’t your fault. It’s biology. And it’s why I check in about sleep. Not to scold you, but to help us understand the full picture of what you're dealing with.
If you’re tired and everything feels heavier than it should…
You’re not alone. And being exhausted does not mean you’re doing something wrong.
If you want a space to sort through the stress, the sleepless nights, the overwhelm, and the emotional impact they’re having on your life, therapy can help.
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