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Logan Manes

English Composition 2

Prof. Leonard

5/23/20

Literature Review

Throughout high school I have found myself staying up longer and longer to study for

that big test the next day. Sometimes I would have to work at my job, get off around 12:00 am

then I would study till about 2:00 am. I always thought I was going to ace it. But I woke up the

next day not wanting to go to school. I felt like I was not motivated and was just groggy and sad.

I went to school and it felt like the worse day ever. I couldn’t focus or keep my emotions in

check with each other. These moments helped me develop my big question. Do you get enough

sleep at night, have you ever wondered how lack of sleep or getting enough sleep affects your

mental and physical health?

In an online article written by Rebekah Jackel, and Antonio Culebras titled “Sleep and

Mental Disorders”, they wrote “Indeed, reciprocally changes in mood, anxiety, and cognition can

result from sleep disturbances.” Meaning that the lack of sleep can cause mood changes and

anxiety. Both of which have never made for a good day in my book. The next source I read, had

some of the same key points as the first. In the article written by Joe Auer titled “ How Mental

Illness Affects Sleep”, he said “The National Sleep Foundation notes that sleep and mood have

been connected repeatedly in both research and anecdotal evidence from physicians and other

health care professionals. In fact, individuals who suffer from insomnia experience depression at
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a rate 10 times that of those who don't, and they're diagnosed with clinical anxiety at a rate 17

times that of those who don't report sleep issues.” Which means because of having these sleep

issues, not only is it harder to fall asleep, but it leads to more anxiety and even depression. Also,

I found in an article written by the National Sleep Foundation titled “The Complex Relationship

Between Sleep, Depression & Anxiety”. In it, the researchers wrote, “When you don't get the 7-

9 hours of quality sleep you need, it can heavily influence your outlook on life, energy level,

motivation, and emotions. If you're feeling low, you may not realize that lack of sleep is the

culprit. But even small levels of sleep deprivation over time can chip away at your happiness.

You might see that you're less enthusiastic, more irritable, or even have some of the symptoms of

clinical depression, such as feeling persistently sad or empty. All these alterations to your mood

can affect not only your individual mental health, but your relationships and family dynamics as

well.” This is just another point showing that lack of sleep can affect your mental help and lead

to disorders and change how the way you act and feel. I find that the day after one those nights

that I stay up late and get up early that I find everyone around me annoying and my mom only

has to say one thing and I snap back at her. In an article written by health professionals at

Harvard titled titled, “ Sleep And Mental Health”, they said “they've discovered that sleep

disruption — which affects levels of neurotransmitters and stress hormones, among other things

— wreaks havoc in the brain, impairing thinking and emotional regulation.“ Again, lack of sleep

effects and impairs your thinking and emotional regulations often lead to disorders such as

depression . Finally, a study from Georgetown College in an article titled “The Impact of Sleep

on Mental Health”, researchers said, “…depression and suicidal thoughts were just as common

in teens with poor sleep habits as those who engaged in risky behaviors.”
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On the contrary, in the article written by Michael Breus, titled, “ Yes, You CAN Sleep

Too Much -Here’s Why Oversleeping is a Problem”, he stated, “Sleeping too much is linked

with many of the same health risks as sleeping too little, including heart disease, metabolic

problems such as diabetes and obesity, and cognitive issues including difficulty with memory.

Similar to people who sleep too little, people who sleep too much have higher overall mortality

risks.” In relation to teenagers and sleeping Breus states, “…excessive sleepiness and excessive

sleeping in teens and young adults can be a red flag for depression. An estimated 40 percent or

more of adults under 30 with depression experience hypersomnia” (sleeping more than 9 hours a

night on a regular basis.

In conclusion, sleep has a big impact on all our lives. Not getting enough sleep can cause

you to have many disorders like depression, anxiety. It also can cause you to act different like

distancing yourself, not being social and finally never wanting to really talk to anyone. However,

getting too much sleep can also be a sign of depression and also lead to heart disease, diabetes or

obesity. According to all of the sources, it is best to aim to sleep between 6-8 hours a night and

the amount needed for each individual will vary.

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Works Cited

Jackel, Rebekah, and Antonio Culebras. “Sleep and Mental Disorders.” MedLink Neurology: The

Information Resource for Clinical Neurology, 9 Sept. 1993,

www.medlink.com/article/sleep_and_mental_disorders.

Auer, Joe. “How Mental Illness Affects Sleep.” How Mental Illness Affects Sleep, 10 Oct. 2019,

www.alaskasleep.com/blog/how-mental-illness-affects-sleep.

Foundation, Sleep. “The Complex Relationship Between Sleep, Depression & Anxiety.” National Sleep

Foundation, www.sleepfoundation.org/excessive-sleepiness/health-impact/complex-relationship-

between-sleep-depression-anxiety.

Harvard Health Publishing. “Sleep and Mental Health.” Harvard Health, Harvard Health Publishing, 18

Mar. 2019, www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/sleep-and-mental-health.

“The Impact of Sleep on Teen Mental Health.” Teen Mental Health Is Impacted by Sleep, 1 Dec. 2017,

www.georgetownbehavioral.com/blog/impact-of-sleep.

Breus, Michael. “Yes, You CAN Sleep Too Much-Here's Why Oversleeping Is A Problem.”

Your Guide to Better Sleep, Sleep Doctor, 16 July 2018, thesleepdoctor.com/2018/07/16/yes-

you-can-sleep-too-much-heres-why-oversleeping-is-a-problem/.