Mental health is an obvious part of well-being. Sleep and mental health are intimately connected. Sleep deprivation affects one’s psychological state and mental health. People with mental health issues are more likely to have insomnia or other sleep disorders. And having insomnia or other sleep orders aggravate the symptoms of mental illness. This is like a vicious cycle! Looking at the statistics, physicians experienced that chronic sleep problems affect 50% to 80% of patients in a typical psychiatric practice, compared with 10% to 18% of adults in the general U.S. population¹. However, in Canada, 50% of adults have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep and 12.3% of sleep deprived adults report having poor mental health². We lack such data from Bangladesh or other countries of South Asia.

The Irish proverb, “A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor’s book,” is often shortened to “Sleep is the best medicine”; however, the meanings are similar. There is no substitute for rest and relaxation when it comes to getting better. This one is accurate. Processes related to your immune system and sleep overlap. During sleep, the body is less occupied with basic functions such as walking, talking, thinking, and eating. If the body is resting, it can instead focus on fighting off illness. In fact, sleep boosts production of some protein and modulators that are linked to speeding up recovery from illnesses like the flu.