Sleep and mental health

Getting enough sleep is crucial for your mental health. Among other benefits, it can help with your mood, your memory and your ability to manage stress. Equally, poor sleep can have a negative impact.

If you’re regularly struggling to get a good night’s sleep and feeling the impacts the next day, you’re not alone. About 40% of Australians regularly experience poor sleep. There are things you can try that will help.

Some factors affecting your sleep are beyond your control...

Things that are outside of your control that could cause a negative impact are:

difficult life events or stress caused by things such as financial pressure, work demands or unemployment, and relationship issues
upcoming events you may be excited or nervous about
pregnancy and caring responsibilities
shift work
menopause and aging
physical discomfort or pain caused by injury or illness
mental health conditions
sleep disorders such as sleep apnoea

It’s important to remember that while there are things that happen out of your control, there are things you can do to sleep better.

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But there are some things you can control to get better sleep

Things that are within your control that could impact your sleep:

how much exercise you had that day
your diet, including alcohol, caffeine and nicotine intake
a noisy, hot or disruptive environment in the night

Read tips to improve your sleep Try our sleep tips self-assessment tool

Benefits of sleep

Good sleep supports both your mental and physical health. There is no magic number for how many hours of sleep you should get. Most adults need about 7 to 9 hours every night but it varies from person to person.

When you get the amount of sleep your body needs, it can help you to:

improve your mood
manage stress
retain memories
think more quickly and clearly
feel energised
stay physically healthy thanks to a strengthened immune system
recover from and prevent injuries.

Conversely, a lack of sleep over time can lead to significant health risks, including cardiovascular diseases, obesity, diabetes, and mental health conditions.

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Watch the 'How to sleep well and improve mental health' webinar

Our panel:

Dr. Luke Martin (Host)
Dr. Norman Swan
Dr. Moira Junge
Carina Bates

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Read transcript

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A good night's sleep is the best form of defence I can have against any attack. It's a key factor of keeping well and keeping mentally sharp."

_______

Read Richard’s mental health journey.

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Difficulty getting to sleep
(30 mins or more)

Waking frequently during the night

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Waking very early in the morning and being unable to get back to sleep

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Achieving less sleep than you need to feel rested

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During the day

When you don’t sleep well, you may experience the following:

feeling tired, flat or exhausted
difficulty managing your emotions
poor concentration
irritability or increased sensitivity
aches and pains
feeling run down.

Having a poor night’s sleep happens to everyone from time-to-time. But when these symptoms occur over a period of time, they might indicate a sleep disorder such as insomnia.

Learn about sleep disorders and insomnia

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Increased anxiety at night

You may find that your anxiety is worse at night and you get stuck in a cycle. At first you're anxious about not being able to sleep, and then you can’t sleep because you feel anxious.

Signs you may be experiencing heightened anxiety at night include:

finding it difficult to calm down
feeling unable to control your anxious thoughts or worries
catastrophic thinking, or dwelling on every possible negative outcome, including the negative impacts of not getting enough sleep
physical restlessness and fidgeting
tightness in the chest and shortness of breath.

If you are experiencing anxiety at night consistently, addressing the root cause of the issue will help you sleep.

Learn about the treatments for anxiety

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1. Regular physical activity

Being active throughout the day can help tire your body to prepare it for sleep. Although make sure to leave 1-2 hours between exercise and bedtime to allow your body to wind down.

Find more information and tips on staying active

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2. Morning sunlight to set your body clock

Sun exposure in the morning, and dim lights in the evening, can help align our body clocks to the day-night cycle. This helps us to feel alert during the day and sleepy at night.

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3. Limit naps

Taking naps outside your normal sleep hours can disrupt your sleep routine and make it harder to go to sleep when you need to.

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4. Reduce caffeine, alcohol and smoking before bed

Stimulants such as caffeine and nicotine can keep your body and mind alert up to seven hours after they're consumed. Alcohol may send you off to sleep faster but can reduce the quality of sleep you have and lead to disruptive sleep.

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5. Allow yourself to wind down

Give your body and mind a chance to relax. In the 1-2 hours before bed, unwind through a calming activity like reading, watching TV, or having a bath – whatever works for you.

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6. Be consistent with your bedtime

Going to bed at a similar time each night reinforces to your body that it's time to wind down.

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7. Set a digital curfew

Avoid screens by turning your phone off or on 'do not disturb' at least 30 minutes before going to sleep. Consider leaving your device in another room. Screen light and apps are designed to trigger hormones in your brain that keep you alert, as can engaging online content.

Learn about routines and mental health

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8. Make your bedroom your sanctuary

Keeping your bedroom quiet, dark and cool will create a healthy sleeping environment. Remove televisions from the bedroom so you're not spending time in bed awake.

9. Leave your worries out of the bedroom

If you find you're overthinking things, it may help to write down the thoughts you're experiencing to get them out of your head. Make a time to revisit them the next day so you know they will be dealt with, but not when you’re trying to sleep.

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Sleep meditation and mindfulness exercises

Sleep meditation, mindfulness and breathing techniques can help you fall asleep faster by calming racing thoughts, letting go of daily stress and easing you into sleep.

Explore guided breathing and relaxation exercises -->

Browse stress management techniques -->

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Read transcript

Seek professional support

If you are experiencing ongoing trouble getting to, or staying asleep, support from a health professional can help. Visiting your GP can be a good place to start, or you can check out the list of mental health professionals on our website.

Find a mental health professional

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My mind would be ticking over all night, and I would just lay there and stare at the ceiling and then wake up even more exhausted the next day. And when you're exhausted, you can't process your emotions or keep yourself in check."

_______

Read Nicole’s story

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Sleep and anxiety or depression

Sleep and mental health are two sides of the same coin - each influences the other. Getting enough sleep is a great way to support your mental health and can reduce the risk anxiety and depression. People who don’t get enough sleep are significantly more likely to experience depression than people who do.

Struggling to fall asleep, difficulty staying asleep and oversleeping can also be symptoms of anxiety or depression.

Anxiety can make it difficult to calm down, can cause you to feel more tired than usual and is a known cause of sleep disturbances.
Depression can cause you to feel constantly tired and can also lead to oversleeping.

If you're concerned that poor sleep could be a symptom of anxiety or depression, our Anxiety and Depression Test (K10) will help you understand what kind of support you might need right now.

Take the K10 test

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Supporting someone else

If you've noticed a friend or partner has trouble sleeping, or sleeps all the time, it’s worth talking to them about your concerns.

Find tips on talking to someone you're worried about

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When depression and alcohol meet – Richard's story

Richard's alcohol addiction and battle with depression took a massive toll. After battling for years, he took action to turn his life around.

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Trauma and losing my coping strategy – Nicole’s story

After suffering an injury while dancing, Nicole struggled to deal with the impact of losing her greatest outlet.

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Further resources

General information

Sleep Health Foundation – Facts sheets by Australia’s leading advocacy organisation for sleep health in the community.
Centre for Clinical Interventions – sleep information and self-help workbooks
Wellmob – Sleep resources for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

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Sleep programs for adults

This Way Up: Managing Insomnia – a free, 4-lesson online CBT-Insomnia program
Let’s Yarn About Sleep – Culturally responsive programs for First Nations Peoples and health professionals to better understand sleep health and how to provide high quality care.

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For children and young people

Raising Children Network – Sleep problems and solutions for children and teenagers.
Sleep Ninja - a free, smartphone app by the Black Dog Institute shown to be effective in helping young people with sleep problems.
Reach Out – tips and peer support for getting a good night’s sleep
Smiling Mind Sleep for Families program – evidence-based activities and strategies to establish good sleep routines and support a better night’s sleep for the whole family.

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Make wellbeing a part of your every day

Learn more about the PACE app

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Sleep and mental health

On this page

Why cant I sleep?

Some factors affecting your sleep are beyond your control...

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But there are some things you can control to get better sleep

Benefits of sleep

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Watch the 'How to sleep well and improve mental health' webinar

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Signs of poor sleep

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During the day

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Increased anxiety at night

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Tips to improve your sleep

1. Regular physical activity

2. Morning sunlight to set your body clock

3. Limit naps

4. Reduce caffeine, alcohol and smoking before bed

5. Allow yourself to wind down

6. Be consistent with your bedtime

7. Set a digital curfew

8. Make your bedroom your sanctuary

9. Leave your worries out of the bedroom

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Tools and resources for better sleep

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Sleep meditation and mindfulness exercises

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Seek professional support

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Sleep and anxiety or depression

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Supporting someone else

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Journey to recovery – personal stories

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When depression and alcohol meet – Richard's story

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Trauma and losing my coping strategy – Nicole’s story

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Further resources

General information

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Sleep programs for adults

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For children and young people

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Make wellbeing a part of your every day

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Subscribe to receive info about mental health, keeping well and stories from our community.

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Some factors affecting your sleep are beyond your control...

Benefits of sleep

Watch the 'How to sleep well and improve mental health' webinar

Signs of poor sleep

During the day

Increased anxiety at night

Tips to improve your sleep

1. Regular physical activity

2. Morning sunlight to set your body clock

3. Limit naps

4. Reduce caffeine, alcohol and smoking before bed

5. Allow yourself to wind down

6. Be consistent with your bedtime

7. Set a digital curfew

8. Make your bedroom your sanctuary

9. Leave your worries out of the bedroom

10. Get out of bed if you can’t sleep

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11. Try not to watch the clock

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Tools and resources for better sleep