536. Sleep isn't a luxury; it's a foundational deposit in your "mental health bank." In this episode, Dr. Monica Johnson looks at why consistent sleep is essential for mood, memory, immunity, and heart health. She looks at the minimum recommended sleep amount and discusses the positive ripple effects of protecting your rest.
536. Sleep isn't a luxury; it's a foundational deposit in your "mental health bank." In this episode, Dr. Monica Johnson looks at why consistent sleep is essential for mood, memory, immunity, and heart health. She looks at the minimum recommended sleep amount and discusses the positive ripple effects of protecting your rest.
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If I could bottle one habit that lifts your mood, sharpens your brain, steadies your appetite, protects your heart, and reduces “why did I walk into this room?” moments, it would be sleep. Not hustle. Not a new planner. Not that detox elixir on your FYP. Good, boring, consistently adequate sleep.When I talk about other good things for you, like engaging in social activities or working out, people reply, “but that costs money.” Yet, sometimes when I mention the fundamentals, I get the eye roll." You keep wanting to talk about the free or low cost things that help with your mental health and I’m here to make the case for sleep.
Welcome back to Savvy Psychologist, I'm your host, Dr. Monica Johnson. Every week on this show, I'll help you face life's challenges with evidence-based approaches, a sympathetic ear, and zero judgment.
When I first started hosting this show, I talked about the mental health bank. Basically it’s this concept, where you want to know what are deposits (e.g. things that add to your capacity) and withdrawal (e.g. things that have a cost to your system). Withdrawals aren’t bad. Attending your kids soccer game after an extremely stressful work day can be a withdrawal. And if you have enough funds in the bank, we can handle it. Well now it’s time to think of sleep like it’s your health’s 401(k): small, steady deposits that compound over time.
Let’s start by getting enough sleep. For most adults, “enough” means at least 7 hours on a regular basis. That’s not a flex goal—it’s the floor. Two heavyweight groups, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society, jointly recommend 7 or more hours nightly for optimal health. The CDC says the same. Variations exist (some folks thrive at 7, others at 8–9), but if you’re living on 5–6 “because that’s just me,” your body is likely quietly paying interest on that debt. Y’all, I used to be a 6 hour person and one day I got 7 and you might as well call me Aladdin because it was a whole new world.
Sleep isn’t the “off” switch; it’s the night shift for your brain and body. While you snooze, your brain consolidates memories and fine-tunes learning and your nervous system recalibrates emotional circuits so you don’t cry because the barista spells your name wrong. Decades of research show that sleep actively strengthens memory and supports learning; REM and deep sleep do intricate behind-the-scenes work you can’t hack with an injection of caffeine.
There are so many positive ripple effects of getting enough sleep
1) You think faster and make fewer oopsies
Adequate sleep boosts attention, working memory, processing speed, and reasoning. Meta-analytic research shows that even short-term sleep loss dents performance across multiple cognitive domains—so protecting your nights protects your output.
2) Your mood is more regulated
One famous line of research finds that after sleep loss, the amygdala (your brain’s alarm) goes into drama-queen mode while the prefrontal cortex (your wise friend) checks out. Enough sleep steadies emotional reactivity, which is why everything feels less like The End of Days after a real night’s rest.
3) Your immune system stops side-eyeing you
People who habitually sleep less than 7 hours are more likely to catch colds when exposed to a virus. And in real-world studies, shorter sleep is tied to weaker vaccine responses. Your body remembers the shot better when you actually go to bed. When I’m not engaging in the habits that support my immune system, I’m getting in my brain and body's way of making sure I function to the best of my ability.
4) Your metabolism plays nice
Experimental studies show that sleep restriction can reduce insulin sensitivity and push blood sugar into concerning ranges, even in healthy adults. Consistent sleep also helps regulate appetite hormones (ghrelin/leptin), which is why decent sleep can make that 10 p.m. chip bag whisper less convincing.
Next time someone says sleep is for the weak, throw a pillow at their face, and run in the opposite direction. Because the negative fallout from not getting enough sleep will leave you feeling like a carbon copy of yourself.
5) Chronic short sleep stacks health risks
A large-scale review links habitual short sleep with higher risks of mortality, diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease, and obesity. This doesn’t mean one bad week dooms you but if undersleeping is your brand, the long-term math isn’t pretty.
What about too much sleep? Long sleep is also associated with higher mortality in some studies. One meta analysis found imbalanced sleep increases mortality risk by 14-34%.
6) Mood and mental health take a hit
Insomnia isn’t just a symptom it can be a predictor. People with insomnia have 2–3x higher odds of developing depression and elevated risk for anxiety and other disorders. The good news: treating insomnia (especially with CBT-I) can also improve depressive and anxiety symptoms.
7) Pain and sleep are frenemies
Poor sleep amplifies pain sensitivity and disrupts the body’s pain-inhibition systems; chronic pain and insomnia often chase each other’s tails. If you live with pain, guarding your sleep is a clinical skill, not a luxury.
8) Circadian chaos is cardiometabolic chaos
Shift work and irregular schedules (e.g. doom-scrolling at 2 a.m.) can misalign the circadian clock, raising blood pressure and messing with glucose regulation in controlled experiments. Public-health bodies now classify night shift work as probably carcinogenic due to converging mechanistic and epidemiologic evidence. If you must work nights, strategic light, timing, and sleep schedules matter. And if you don’t work nights and you’re just staying up late. We are going to have to be our own parent and have a bedtime routine.
Now let’s shift into some practical tips about getting enough and better quality sleep.
The American College of Physicians recommends Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) as the first-line treatment for chronic insomnia—before meds—because it’s effective and durable. Short-term medication can help in select situations, but CBT-I addresses the behaviors and beliefs that keep insomnia alive. Ask for a CBT-I referral or a validated program if your insomnia has been around for ~3 months or more.
Protect a 7–9-hour sleep window most nights. Set an earlier lights-out, not just a later alarm. If your schedule is chaotic, move in 15-minute weekly nudges.
Anchor your wake-up time (even on weekends) and get morning light in your eyes—think five to fifteen minutes outdoors to reinforce your body clock. I do this basically every morning.
Caffeine: last call ~8 hours before bed. “But I metabolize coffee fast.” Your sleep doesn’t care about your fast metabolism slander.
Alcohol: it helps you fall asleep and then shreds your sleep architecture. Keep it light and earlier if you’re working on sleep.
Phones in the bedroom: if the rectangle is the last thing you touch at night and the first in the morning, it’s the main character in your insomnia story. Try a dock-in-the-hallway rule and an actual alarm clock.
Wind-down ritual (20–45 min): dim lights; low-stimulation activities (bath/shower, warm beverage without caffeine, light stretching, boring novel); put worries on paper.
If you can’t sleep after ~20–30 minutes: get out of bed and do something calm in low light. Return when sleepy. This is stimulus control—the bed is for sleep and sex, not email autopsies.
Naps: 10–25 minutes before 3 p.m. can be great. Long or late naps can vandalize your bedtime.
Move your body most days; morning or afternoon movement tends to help sleep more than late-evening high-intensity sessions. While I often workout most mornings, I have a consistent habit of daily walking.
If you suspect a sleep disorder? Loud snoring, witnessed apneas, gasping, restless legs, or persistent insomnia despite solid habits talk to your clinician or a sleep specialist.
And here’s a few troubleshooting ideas to consider.
“I keep waking at 3 a.m.”
Check alcohol timing, late-evening heavy meals, and stress load. Try a worry buffer: write tomorrow’s tasks before bed; if you wake, do low-light, low-stimulus activities until sleepy rather than catastrophizing in the sheets.
“I fall asleep fine but wake up unrefreshed.”
Screen for sleep apnea (snoring, pauses, morning headaches) or fragmented sleep (pets, kids, notifications). A sleep study may be indicated.
“My schedule is chaotic (parenting, caregiving, healthcare shift). Is it hopeless?”
Not at all. Prioritize sleep opportunity, daylight, and consistency where possible. Micro-improvements compound: two extra nights of 7–8 hours each week still change your baseline.
“I’ve tried ‘hygiene’ and nothing helps.”
That’s when CBT-I earns its keep. It’s structured, time-limited, and evidence-based.
There is this man Bryan Johnson who has spent millions of dollars figuring out how to extend life. In fact, his entire motto is don’t die. And when he is asked, what is the one thing you would tell a person to do with all your research? He says, sleep. So, for all you looking for free or low cost things you can do to improve your mental health and life? Take yourself to bed. I’ll see you in the morning!
What is one way that you’re commit to improving your sleep? Let me know! You can contact me via Instagram @kindmindpsych or via my email at psychologist@quickanddirtytips.com.
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