When someone says 'they got out of the wrong side of the bed', it's often used to describe how they are feeling - moody, irritable or hard to get along with.
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This saying shows that people understand there is a relationship between how you sleep and your emotional wellbeing.
The relationship becomes even clearer with people who have ongoing mental health problems, as they often sleep poorly. In fact, it has been said that "mental health problems and sleep problems can be two sides of the same coin", according to the Sleep Health Organisation.
Which comes first - the emotional problems or the sleep problems?
Chronic sleep disturbance
Rigorous and large-scale studies have shown that chronic sleep disturbance is a significant risk factor for developing mental health problems such as depression, paranoia, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, hallucinations and even suicidal behaviours. The risk increases with insomnia, habitual sleep loss, obstructive sleep apnea and other sleep issues.
Poor mental health
Mental ill-health may be associated with persistent trouble falling asleep, having more fragmented sleep and/or waking too early in the morning. Nightmares, bad dreams or restless legs are sometimes a feature.
Sometimes people with hidden or unknown mental health issues notice ongoing sleep problems first.
See your GP
Seeking help for sleep problems can be an easy first step. To learn more about possible reasons for sleep disturbances, and get helpful hints on what you can do for persistent sleep problems, talk to your GP.
Treatment
The good news is that improving sleep will often reduce the severity of mental health problems.
Getting better sleep is also an excellent strategy for helping to prevent mental health problems develop, or reducing the chances of a relapse. There are effective, evidence-based ways to improve your sleep, and these should be part of any treatment plan to help mental health where sleep is poor.
Sleep and relations to other health issues
Sleep disturbance is a common feature of anxiety and depression. There is a range of other medical/psychiatric issues that can also be associated with poor sleep.
Importantly, finding ways of addressing sleeping problems can help to either prevent and/or improve these various conditions.