Benefits of sleep and why sleep is good for your mental health

Why sleep is important

Most adults need at least seven hours of sleep a night, and depending on what is happening in your life, you may need more. If you are fighting an illness, going through a stressful period, or recovering from a significant event, your body may need additional rest.

When we regularly fall short of what we need, it can affect our energy and productivity levels. Continuous poor sleep can slow down our reaction times and affect how well we think and make decisions. Long-term poor sleep may also be linked to an increased risk of serious health conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes.

It’s normal to temporarily experience poor sleep when going through significant life events, such as starting a new job, moving to a new place, or ending a relationship. But if your sleep problems persist, you will start to notice that it is impacting your physical and mental health.

When you don’t get enough sleep, you may feel overwhelmed and alone. Please know that support is available. You can make an appointment to see your GP or contact a helpline like SuicideLine Victoria on 1300 651 251.

How sleep benefits your mental health

Sharpens your attention

When we are tired, focusing becomes harder. Sleep affects not just our ability to concentrate but also our ability to filter information, to tune into what matters, and tune out what does not.[1]

When we are well rested, we can handle large amounts of information because our brain is able to ignore what doesn’t matter. When we are sleep deprived, the ability to filter what matters can fail, and our brain starts treating all incoming information with equal importance, causing us to feel overwhelmed.

Sleep deprivation also slows our reaction time. Research suggests that even moderate sleep deprivation can result in slower cognitive reaction times and increased variability in attention. When we are well-rested, we react quicker and can sustain our attention.[2]

Improves your memory

There are three stages of forming a memory. The first is acquisition, when you introduce information to your brain. The second stage is consolidation, during which the memory is strengthened. The final stage is recall, when we access the information we stored.

Acquisition and recall happen when we are awake, and consolidation happens when we’re asleep. While we sleep, our brain consolidates and organises our memories, helping us remember what we learned the previous day.

Helps with creative thinking

There is growing evidence behind the advice to “sleep on it.” Sleep gives the brain a chance to step back from a problem and approach it differently.

A 2025 study explored the relationship between sleep and problem-solving. The research suggested that people were more likely to have insight and creative clarity after they slept.[3]

Lowers your stress

Have you ever noticed how the little things bother you more if you haven’t slept long enough the night before? Sleep deprivation makes us more irritable, and we can react negatively to minor annoyances and interruptions. A survey from the American Psychological Association also reported that adults sleeping fewer than eight hours a night were more likely to report symptoms of stress than those getting at least eight hours.[4]

Signs that poor sleep may be affecting you

Sleep problems can show up in different ways. Common signs include:

• Difficulty falling or staying asleep, waking up still feeling exhausted, or struggling to get out of bed.
• Difficulty concentrating, memory problems, brain fog, irritability, low mood, and feelings of anxiety or sadness.
• Physically, it can cause headaches, fatigue, changes in appetite, and a weakened immune system.

Not everyone experiences sleep problems in the same way. But if any of these feel familiar and are becoming a pattern, it is worth paying attention.

What can disrupt your sleep

Sleep problems can stem from many sources. Common disruptors include:

• Habits: Eating heavy meals close to bedtime, exercising too late in the evening, or not allowing time to wind down before bed.
• Environment: A bedroom that is too hot, too cold, too bright, or too noisy.
• Lifestyle: Too much caffeine or alcohol, irregular sleep hours, excessive screen time, or shift work.
• Physical health: Pain, illness, hormonal changes, or medications with sleep-disrupting ingredients.
• Mental health: Worry, intrusive thoughts, panic attacks, or symptoms associated with conditions like anxiety, depression, or trauma.

Please know that no matter what you are experiencing, your sleep can get better.

How to improve your sleep

Whatever the underlying cause of your sleep disruption is, there are ways to improve your sleep. The following steps may help.

• Go to bed and wake up at the same time each day, including weekends where possible.
• Allow yourself time to wind down before bed. Avoid working late into the evening or consuming distressing media close to bedtime.
• If you nap during the day, keep it to 20 to 30 minutes and not too close to bedtime.
• Exercise regularly. Even 30 minutes of moderate activity can improve sleep quality. Finish exercise at least three hours before bed.
• Limit alcohol. If you do drink, avoid it for at least four hours before bed. No alcohol is best for sleep.
• Limit caffeine intake. Depending on how caffeine affects you, try to avoid it three to seven hours before going to bed.
• Avoid heavy meals and excessive fluids close to bedtime.
• Keep your bedroom dark, cool, and comfortable. Eye masks and earplugs can help to block out light and noise.
• Avoid screens in bed. If you need to use your phone, switch to night mode and reduce brightness.
• Try not to watch the clock if you cannot sleep, as it tends to increase anxiety.

Tactics for falling asleep

One of the most common challenges when trying to fall asleep is when your mind is racing through thoughts, to-do lists, and worries. The following tactics may help you fall asleep.

Deep breathing

Controlled breathing can slow the nervous system and help you feel calmer. One effective method is box breathing: inhale for four counts, hold for four, exhale for four, and hold again for four. Repeat a few times until you feel your body relax.

Body scan

A body scan, also called progressive muscle relaxation, involves systematically tensing and releasing muscle groups from your feet upward. Inhale and tense a muscle group for five to ten seconds, then exhale and fully release it. Work your way up through the body. This technique helps release physical tension and can make it easier to fall asleep.

Listen to something calming

Background sound can help settle a restless mind. Options include ambient sounds, soft music, guided imagery tracks, or sleep stories. Free versions can usually be found on podcast platforms, YouTube, and apps such as Smiling Mind.

Use cognitive shuffling

If stressful thoughts are keeping you awake, you can try to break the cycle by forcing your brain to focus on random, neutral categories. You start by picking one broad category (e.g. country names, plants, sports) and then name as many items as you can, starting with a specific letter, then move on to the next letter of the alphabet.

If you cannot sleep, get up

If you have been lying awake for a while and feel frustrated, getting up can help. Move to a dimly lit, quiet space and do something calming for 20 to 30 minutes. When you feel sleepy, return to bed and restart your wind-down routine if needed.

Waking in the middle of the night

Waking during the night is common. If it happens, try to stay in bed, avoid picking up your phone, and resist the urge to check the time. If you need to, use the bathroom or have a small drink of water, then use one of the strategies above to settle your mind. Resting quietly, even without sleeping, still allows your body to recover.

Please note that what works for one person may not work for another. You may also want to try a free app like Smiling Mind, which has guided sleep tools for every age and stage of your life.

Seeking professional support for sleep problems

Having sleep difficulties is more common than people realise. A report from the Sleep Health Foundation revealed that almost 60% of people regularly experience at least one sleep symptom (like trouble falling or staying asleep).[5]

If you are struggling with your sleep, please reach out to a GP. They can assess how your sleep disruption is impacting your health, review whether any medications or supplements may be contributing, check for underlying health problems, provide advice, and, if appropriate, offer referrals to a sleep specialist or mental health professional.

You can also consider the Insomnia Program from This Way Up, a free, self-paced program. It consists of four lessons, in which you will learn cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) strategies to address thoughts, feelings, and behaviours that may be preventing you from sleeping.

If you are an expecting or new parent, you can also reach out to PANDA, which supports the mental health and wellbeing of expecting, new and growing families.

If you are struggling, call SuicideLine Victoria 1300 651 251 or click the chat button on the right to speak to a counsellor. Our service is free and available 24/7.

If it is an emergency, call 000.

[1] Drummond SPA, Anderson DE, Straus LD, Vogel EK, Perez VB (2012) The Effects of Two Types of Sleep Deprivation on Visual Working Memory Capacity and Filtering Efficiency. PLoS ONE 7(4): e35653. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0035653

[2] Effects of sleep deprivation on cognition. Killgore WD. Prog Brain Res. 2010;185:105–129. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-444-53702-7.00007-5.

[3] N2 sleep promotes the occurrence of ‘aha’ moments in a perceptual insight task

Anika T. Löwe  ,Marit Petzka ,Maria M. Tzegka,Nicolas W. Schuck Published: June 26, 2025 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3003185

[4] American Psychological Association, Stress and Sleep https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/2013/sleep

[5] Sleep Health Foundation, Chronic Insomnia Disorder in Australia https://www.sleephealthfoundation.org.au/special-sleep-reports/chronic-insomnia-disorder-in-australia