You already know the answer. One bad night and the next day feels impossible. Everything irritates you. By afternoon, you’re ready to snap over the smallest thing.
Sleep affects mood. When one suffers, so does the other.
How Poor Sleep Affects You Mentally
Your brain needs actual rest to work properly. When you don’t sleep enough, you can’t handle your emotions the way you normally would. Small problems feel enormous.
Everything just weighs more.
And if anxiety or depression are already present, they just make sleep harder.
You lie awake worrying, which makes you more anxious. This just keeps you awake longer.
|The cycle continues.
What This Actually Looks Like
Being tired makes everyone irritable. But running on weeks of poor sleep is different.
You might be:
- Reacting strongly to minor issues
- Feeling tense constantly
- Unable to focus or complete tasks
- Experiencing unexpected tears or anger
- Just feeling off in a way you can’t explain
Your brain’s trying to work without proper rest. It’s not about willpower or attitude. You’re running on empty.
Why This Keeps Happening
Sometimes you know exactly why. Work is stressful. Your relationship ended. Money is tight. You’re lying there at 3am with racing thoughts.\
Or maybe there’s no clear reason. You’ve never slept well or it slowly worsened over time. Now you can’t remember what a full night’s sleep feels like.
Some people can’t fall asleep. Others fall asleep fine but wake and then they just stay awake.
Weeks become months. You’re impatient with your children. Work performance drops. People keep asking what’s wrong and you don’t have an answer.
At Healizm, we see this pattern constantly. Sleep issues never appear alone. They’re connected to everything else.
Try These First
Start here:
- Go to bed at exactly the same time every night
- Avoid screens an hour before bed
- Make your room comfortable, like dark, quiet and cool
- Try not to drink coffee and alcohol lot
- Work out during the day
Will it solve everything? Probably not. But try it anyway. If nothing changes, you know the issue runs deeper than habits.
When to Get Help
You’ve adjusted your routine. You’ve tried the recommendations. Nothing has improved. That’s when you talk to someone.
Sleep disorders are real medical conditions. The mental health challenges that accompany them are real. And treatment exists for all of it.
Dr. Chohan doesn’t just write prescriptions and move on. She examines what’s actually happening. Your life circumstances, your patterns, why your brain won’t settle at night.
Therapy helps some people. Medication helps others. Often it’s a combination. We also use neurofeedback to help your brain regulate itself better.
It’s not about forcing more sleep. It’s about addressing what’s disrupted so everything else can stabilize.
Reach Out
Stop dragging yourself through exhausted days. If sleep is affecting your mood and daily functioning, take action.
Healizm offers telehealth and in-person appointments in Brooklyn. New Jersey location coming soon. We accept most insurance plans.
Call (888) 871-0137 or visit healizm! We’ll work through this together.
Quick Questions
Can poor sleep cause depression?
Yes. Chronic sleep problems do actually increase the likelihood.
How much sleep do I actually need?
Usually seven to nine hours! Though how you feel matters more than the exact number.
Will I need medication?
Not necessarily!
What’s really the difference between occasional bad sleep and a sleep disorder?
- Occasional – usually linked to particular events, like a few nights here and there
- Disorder – chronic difficulties that might extend over weeks or months
How much sleep is actually adequate?
- Seven and nine hours
- If you’re dragging all afternoon, you probably need more
