Many people complain of struggling to fall asleep throughout the week. Oftentimes disordered sleep is a result of people’s own behaviors and schedules. Some examples of behaviors that can cause disordered sleep are excessively using a phone before going to sleep, drinking caffeine after 5 PM, and more. Schedules where people sleep in too late consistently can also impact their ability to fall asleep at a given time, and therefore cause disordered sleep. There are ways to switch out these behaviors for new, healthier habits in order to improve sleep quality.

Here is a MentalH2O article that outlines how to build these habits:

Sleep Hygiene 101: Creating Healthy Habits for Better Mental Health

However, a lot of people that struggle to fall asleep may be experiencing symptoms of insomnia. You should typically consider your sleep problems serious if you tried implementing habit changes, like the ones outlined in the article above, in regards to your sleep schedule and they had no effect. If you are feeling hopeless, like nothing is working, and that lack of sleep is interfering with your daily life then your sleep problems are serious and you should consider contacting a health professional regarding them.

The most commonly occurring sleep disorder is insomnia. 1 in 3 adults exhibit symptoms of insomnia, which means around 30% of adults (Marshall, 2024)(Cleveland Clinic, 2023). To identify it look for symptoms including consistent difficulty falling asleep, feeling drowsy throughout the day, having a hard time focusing, waking up throughout the night, and more. A more comprehensive list can be found here: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/insomnia/symptoms-causes/syc-20355167

In addition to Insomnia hindering a person’s day to day life, it can also impact mental health through the sleep deprivation it causes and is associated with. In a study published in the Journal of Sleep Medicine it was found that disturbances in sleep were linked to higher levels of psychological distress (How Sleep Deprivation Impacts Mental Health, 2022). Disorders such as anxiety and depression were also considerably higher in people who struggled with sleep deprivation. This underlines the impact that lack of sleep onset by insomnia can have on a person’s daily life and stresses the importance of reaching out to a health professional regarding treatment.

Usually the best treatment for insomnia is cognitive behavioral therapy, where negative thoughts that may be keeping people awake are addressed so that they no longer keep them awake (Mayo Clinic, 2016). Other treatment includes prescription medicines that are recommended by a health professional. Addressing insomnia and lack of sleep overall will help prevent and improve any mental health issues and should therefore be a priority when addressing one’s mental health.

Written By: Carmela Gonzalez, Mental H2O Youth Resource Writer

References:

Cleveland Clinic. (2023, February 13). Insomnia. Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/12119-insomnia

Marshall, S. (2024, March 7). Sleep Statistics and Facts About Sleep Deprivation. NCOA Adviser.

https://www.ncoa.org/adviser/sleep/sleep-statistics/#:~:text=More%20than%20a%20third

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Mayo Clinic. (2016, October 15). Insomnia – Diagnosis and treatment – Mayo Clinic.

Mayoclinic.org.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/insomnia/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20355

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How Sleep Deprivation Impacts Mental Health. (2022, March 16). Columbia University Department of Psychiatry; Columbia University. https://www.columbiapsychiatry.org/news/how-sleep-deprivation-affects-your-mental-he alth