Poor sleep over a sustained period leads to a number of problems which are immediately recognizable, including fatigue, sleepiness, poor concentration, lapses in memory, and irritability. This can affect mood, energy and concentration levels, our relationships, and our ability to stay awake and function during the day.

Sleep and your health are strongly related. Poor sleep can increase the risk of having poor health, and poor health can make it harder to sleep. Sleeping poorly increases the risk of having poor mental health. In the same way that healthy diet and exercise can help to improve our mental health, so can sleep.

Common mental health problems like anxiety and depression can often reinforce sleep problems. When this is the case, a combination approach to treating the mental health problem and sleep problem in tandem is often the most effective.

Learn more about the ways sleep can affect your mental health: https://www.sleepfoundation.org/mental-health