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World Sleep Day
Mental health and the subtle art of better sleep
This World Sleep Day is a good reminder of just how important sleep is for our wellbeing. Understanding how sleep works – and why stress can disrupt it – can help us support both our mental health and our rest.
Why sleep affects how we feel
Think back to the last time you had a really poor night’s sleep.
Perhaps everything felt a little heavier the next day. Your mood was lower, small problems seemed bigger than they really were, and even simple tasks felt harder than usual. You might have found yourself craving sugary snacks, struggling to concentrate, or feeling unusually irritable.
Many of us have experienced this. And it’s not just in our heads.
Sleep is often thought of as a time when the body rests and recharges. But it also plays an important role in calming emotions and therefore in supporting our mental health.
Understanding a healthy sleep cycle
Most adults benefit from around 7–9 hours of sleep each night, with around 7.5 hours often considered ideal.
This is because our sleep follows cycles of roughly 90 minutes, moving through different phases several times throughout the night. Each phase supports our wellbeing in different ways.
Two of the most important phases are deep sleep and REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep.
Deep sleep allows the body to rest and repair itself. During this phase the body carries out essential maintenance processes that support physical health.
REM sleep, on the other hand, is closely connected to how our brains process emotions and experiences. During a healthy night’s sleep, we usually spend roughly 20% of the time in deep sleep and a similar amount of time in REM sleep.
Together, these stages help both the body and mind recover.
REM sleep and emotional processing
Many people recognise the feeling of waking up with a clearer perspective after a good night’s sleep. Something that felt overwhelming the night before can suddenly feel more manageable.
This isn’t just a coincidence – it’s linked to what happens in the brain during REM sleep.
During REM sleep the brain becomes very active, working through the emotions and experiences from the previous waking period. Dreams often reflect these experiences in symbolic ways, helping us process the thoughts and feelings we may not have fully dealt with while we were awake.
Research suggests that REM sleep helps the brain to process emotional experiences, reduce the intensity of difficult emotions and strengthen healthier responses to stress.
Although the brain is active during REM sleep, the major muscle groups are locked, preventing us from enacting our dreams physically.
Why do we feel exhausted when we’re stressed?
When we are going through a stressful time, our sleep patterns can change.
Stress often brings a surge of thoughts and emotions. These are signals from our mind and body that something in our lives may need attention or support.
During periods of high stress, the brain may spend more time in REM sleep and less time in deep sleep. Even if we stay in bed for long enough, the balance of sleep stages can shift.
This can leave us feeling physically tired or achy, because the body has had less deep restorative sleep, and mentally drained or foggy because the brain has been working hard to process emotions.
If this pattern continues for a long time, it can affect mood, motivation and our ability to enjoy the things we usually find rewarding.
Supporting better sleep and wellbeing
While we can’t always remove stress from our lives, there are small things we can do to support both sleep and mental wellbeing.
Taking time during the day to reflect on our experiences can help reduce the amount of emotional processing the brain needs to do overnight. Some people find journalling helpful, while others prefer recording a short voice note, practising meditation or prayer, or simply sitting quietly and allowing their mind to settle.
Breathing exercises can also help calm the nervous system and reduce tension in the body. Simple techniques can support relaxation and make it easier to unwind before sleep.
Spending time outdoors in the morning can help balance our body’s natural rhythm so we feel more awake during the day and sleepy at night, and this can work even better if we add a little movement, like a short morning walk.
Over time, small habits like these can help create the conditions for healthier sleep and improved emotional wellbeing.
Find out more
If you’d like to understand more about how stress, emotional needs and wellbeing affect sleep, our Mental Health Toolkit sessions explore these topics in more detail and offer practical tools that can support both individuals and teams.
The sessions help people better understand their mental health, recognise early signs of stress, and learn simple techniques that can support wellbeing in everyday life.
You can find out more about our Mental Health Toolkit and workplace training here:
https://mnessexmind.org/training
If you’d prefer to have a conversation about how we can support your organisation, please feel free to get in touch with us at
training@mnessexmind.org