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Sleep and Mental Health

Health promotion
Meirav Weissman Tayeb, BA, MA, recognized nursing training coordinator at the Hillel Yaffe Nursing School
25 January 2026

Sleep is not just rest for the body, but an essential biological mechanism that allows the body and mind to regenerate, process emotions, and maintain balance. Quality, continuous, and satisfying sleep is a key condition for maintaining a stable mood, a healthy memory, and the ability to cope with everyday challenges.

During the night, the brain organizes memories, processes emotions, and balances the body's systems. When there are not enough hours of sleep or when sleep is interrupted, thinking, decision-making, and emotion regulation abilities are impaired, which increases the risk of developing anxiety, depression, and other mental disorders.

Sleep is also closely related to stress levels in life. Continuous stress and pressure increase cortisol levels, a hormone related to stress, impairing the ability to fall asleep, and creating a cycle in which poor sleep increases stress – and stress further exacerbates sleep problems.

How much sleep do you need?  

Adequate sleep, usually between 7 and 8 hours a night, is an integral part of a healthy lifestyle. It contributes to the ability to concentrate, maintains a stable mood, helps in dealing with crises and provides a sense of freshness and emotional security. When sleep is impaired over time, it is advisable to seek medical or professional advice.  

 

Good sleep is not a luxury, it is a basic condition for a healthy, balanced, and happy life.  

Sleep is one of the most basic biological needs of the human body. It is not just an act of rest, but a vital process that allows the body and brain to regenerate, heal and function optimally. Quality sleep is one during which the body goes through all the stages of sleep necessary for regeneration, is characterized by continuity, few interruptions, and leads to a feeling of freshness in the morning. Quality sleep plays a significant role in maintaining a stable mood, proper mental health and preventing mental disorders, such as depression, anxiety and sleep disorders.

The contribution of sleep to physical function  

During sleep, the body makes physical repairs and gives the brain an opportunity to restore and organize memories, improve learning ability, and promote cognitive and emotional processes. When the body enters a state of sleep, a process of organizing, processing, and repairing cognitive activities occurs, especially memory, processing emotions, and regulating mood. Lack of sleep or poor-quality sleep can lead to feelings of emotional fatigue, impatience, low mood, and even worsen existing mental conditions, such as depression and anxiety. In addition, people who do not sleep enough hours or whose sleep is of poor quality may develop problems with memory, decision-making, and emotion regulation. All of these are key tools for mental health.

The impact of sleep on mental health

The effect of sleep on preventing mental health disorders  

As mentioned, regular, quality sleep has a direct impact on the development of mental disorders. Studies show that irregular sleep patterns increase the risk of mental health disorders, such as depression and anxiety. Other studies indicate that good sleep helps prevent the onset of serious emotional problems, especially when there is a genetic predisposition or family history of mental health disorders.  

The contribution of sleep to mental and physical health  

Sleep is a critical biological need, not only for physical health, but also for mental health. Quality sleep is essential for maintaining proper body and brain function, and affects mood, the ability to cope with emotional challenges, and cognitive abilities. Sleep deprivation impairs all of these, while good sleep improves physical and mental well-being.

During sleep, especially during the stages of deep sleep (NREM) and dream sleep (REM), the brain processes and sorts the emotions, experiences and thoughts from that day. This process helps to process strong emotions, such as anger, sadness or fear, and provides the ability to deal with everyday challenges in a more calm and peaceful way. For this reason, poor quality sleep or sleep deprivation may leave a person with unprocessed emotions, which increases feelings of stress and mental pressure.

Sleep provides optimal conditions for organizing memory, thinking and learning. During sleep, the brain "stores" the information received during the day, organizes it and makes connections between different ideas. Sleep allows for creativity and flexible thinking, which can improve the ability to solve problems and deal with challenges in different situations.

Sleep is also essential for maintaining emotional balance. During sleep, cortisol hormone levels are inhibited, allowing the body to "cleanse" the effects of stress created during the day. Sleep deprivation causes cortisol levels to increase, which leads to increased feelings of anxiety, depression, and mental stress. In the case of prolonged sleep deprivation, emotional balance is broken, and the ability to cope with stress or negative emotions decreases.

Quality sleep fills the body's "energy reserves" (a person's emotional and cognitive resources) and helps maintain a positive mood and deal with daily challenges in a balanced and stable manner. During sleep, the body and mind work together to deal with the pressures of the next day. These reserves are not only related to physical energy, but also to mental well-being. In a situation where there is sufficient quality sleep, a person feels calm, balanced, and able to deal with challenges. Fatigue can cause a bad mood, while adequate sleep contributes to emotional balance and higher motivation.

An important neurotransmitter that functions in sleep and mental health. Serotonin is responsible for regulating emotions, improving mood, and also improving sleep quality.

The connection between stress and sleep

Stress is one of the main causes of sleep quality disorders. When we experience mental stress or pressure, the body's reactions and brain effects can lead to sleep disorders. Stress increases cortisol levels (the hormone associated with stress), which can make it difficult to fall asleep and lead to fragmented sleep, in which each sleep cycle is disrupted. The brain remains in a state of high arousal, and as a result, not only is the ability to fall asleep impaired, but the quality of sleep also decreases, which causes fatigue during waking hours.  

There is a two-way relationship between stress and sleep: Stress impairs sleep, and poor sleep exacerbates stress. Lack of sleep not only increases feelings of stress, but also impairs concentration, emotional regulation, and the ability to cope with stressful situations. In other words, the longer sleep deprivation continues, the less the body can cope with stress, leading to a vicious cycle in which each element exacerbates the other.  

In addition, stress can also cause physical symptoms, such as muscle aches, digestive problems, or headaches, which can worsen a person's condition and lead to further difficulties with sleep. 

Causes of sleep disorders   

Sleep disorders can be caused by a variety of factors throughout life, such as age, mental conditions, chronic illnesses, and life crises.  

Mental disorders, such as depression or anxiety, can worsen sleep disorders. Depression, for example, can lead to irregular sleep patterns, sometimes sleeping too much (hypersomnia) or insomnia. Lack of sleep in these cases worsens the symptoms of depression, and prevents improvement in the mental state.  

The dangers of prolonged sleep deprivation

Prolonged sleep deprivation can lead to serious emotional and mental problems. People who suffer from sleep deprivation may experience feelings of irritability, impatience, lack of motivation, and even aggression. Sleep deprivation affects the ability to cope with stressful situations and daily events, and may worsen anxiety, depression, or any other mental disorder. There is an interdependence between poor quality sleep and the development of mental disorders, and it is important to recognize that this is not only a physical problem, but also an emotional and mental problem.  

Good, quality sleep is not a luxury, but a basic condition for a healthy and balanced life.