Impact of sleep on health and well-being

Rest has been important since the creation of the world. So, important that God took it. (Genesis 2:2-3 “ By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.”). If the God of all creation took rest, then how much more do we, His creation, need rest?

Sleep is a form of physical rest. It is when the body enters a restorative state, a state of relaxation and repair. Sleep is the essential, natural, recurring, active behavioural state of unconsciousness produced by the body. It is the natural state of resting with the eyes closed, where the mind and body aren't active or conscious.

Sleep was designed with intentionality and given to mankind to help us. God gave it to mankind as a gift from Him (Proverbs 3:24 “When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.”).

Sleep, despite its natural occurrence and how simple it might seem, is one of the most complex and mysterious processes of the body, which impacts so many areas. Yet, it is also one of the first things that gets pushed to the back burner as changes occur. These changes can be something as regular as workplace or school stress or as significant as the birth of a child. Whatever the reason behind the change in sleep patterns, it does not happen without certain consequences, because of how much within the body and the functioning of the body that is dependent on how much and how well we sleep.

The amount of sleep a person needs varies based on their age and could vary based on the type of work and the levels of stress one endures on a day-to-day basis. The usual amount of sleep that an adult, with a healthy lifestyle and a medium amount of stress, requires is considered to be 7-9 hours. Genetics and health conditions may also impact how much sleep is required by a person. A person with a family of short sleepers might need only 4 hours of sleep for optimal functioning.

No matter the duration of sleep that our body needs, it is important that this requirement is met in a proper way, with enough good quality sleep. Whether enough sleep means 4 hours or 10 hours for you, the quality of sleep you get is equally important. Improper sleep can affect us instantly, such as a headache. It can also affect us bit by bit over a period of time when improper sleep patterns are followed every day. Among children, improper sleep can give rise to overactivity, misbehaviors, and issues in school performance.

When we keep having improper or insufficient sleep, certain consequences occur in all areas dependent on sleep. These include the following:

• Sleep and physical health: When the brain doesn’t get the rest required to work on regulating and recovering, the body is where it shows up most evidently. The lack of recovery time makes it difficult for the muscles to continue progressing, and there is a higher likelihood of cramping and muscle injuries. The body doesn’t get to work out the hormones already in the body that need to be cleared out, and there is a lack of the hormones that are required by the body for functional development, such as the growth hormone, hunger hormones, etc. The hunger and thirst cues get affected because of this, making you dehydrated and leaving you either over- or undereating. Stress hormones, such as cortisol, can be present in abundance, making it difficult to regulate metabolism, control blood sugar levels, reduce any inflammation within the body, and also making it very difficult to have a regular sleep and wake-up cycle. This isn’t healthy for us because a prolonging of these aspects can lead to the development of diabetes, cardiovascular conditions, malnutrition or obesity, chronic fatigue, and susceptibility to diseases and illnesses. We are called to treat our bodies as the temple of God. Sleep is an integral aspect of taking care of our bodies. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20: "Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your bodies").
• Sleep and emotional regulation: The other area where the lack of proper sleep manifests evidently is in emotional regulation. The body's energy is completely used to maintain regular functioning, and emotional regulation comes as an additional load that isn’t handled effectively. This is why it is much easier to get angry or deeply sad during a period of improper rest. But God has called us to be peacemakers and to be slow to anger, so it is imperative to work on our sleep to ensure we don’t explode our emotions onto others. (Proverbs 15:18: "A hot-tempered person stirs up conflict, but the one who is patient calms a quarrel")
• Sleep and behaviours: Sleep, when not sufficient or of good quality, can lead to our mind being affected in different areas, which, in turn, affects how we behave. Whether we behave rudely to others, our work is affected due to daytime sleepiness, worsening internet addiction, etc., depends heavily on our sleep. The worse our sleep, the more difficult to behave the way we are called to, in love, integrity, and diligence, reflecting the character of Christ. (Psalm 3:5: "I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the Lord sustained me".)
• Sleep and cognition: As the body rests, the brain has a chance to work on processing all that has been stored temporarily in the mind. This includes memory, decisions, sensations, thoughts, etc. This is very important to ensure good memory, rational decision-making, and impulse control. When we don’t get proper sleep, all these aspects are impaired, and we might even process all these areas incorrectly, leading to a cycle of improper sleep and improper processing. This is not our portion. God wishes to give us rest so we can have a peaceful life. He wishes for us to be unburdened by improper thinking from improper sleep. (Matthew 11:28: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”)
• Sleep and relationships: All of our relationships with people require intentional effort in the things we say or do. So, when sleep is improper, and our emotional regulation and cognition aren’t in the best condition, we can say or do things in our relationship that may be something we could end up regretting. This can lead to conflicts, disagreements, etc., which hurt our relationships even further. This is one of the reasons why a lot of marital relationships experience an extremely rough patch after the birth of a child, and sleep is very irregular. But, we are called or more than anger. ( Ephesians 4:26-27 "In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry")
• Sleep and Faith: When we are physically exhausted, it can lead even to spiritual exhaustion. With us not having enough energy to spend time with God. It might seem more like a chore than a relationship. With the cognition lowered, the reasoning ability to want more of God is also difficult. This leads to spiritual dryness and can deeply affect our faith and mental health, as well. Sleep is an act of trust towards God. It is laying down your worries, trusting that God will give you a new day, laying down the things that we wish to be in control of, and saying we will let God handle it. When this sleep is improper, it can affect how we trust Him in other areas, alongside the areas of sleep and rest. (Psalm 4:8 “In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, LORD, make me dwell in safety.”)
• Sleep and mental health: Another area that gets deeply affected by the quality and quantity of sleep is our mental health. With our brains completely tired out, we don’t have enough energy to process our thoughts and emotions. Sleep and mental health are deeply connected. When sleep is disrupted, it can create easy access to volatile emotions, changed behaviour, and spiraling thoughts. Mental health issues also lead to disrupted sleep, where there is more rumination versus renewing and recharging of the mind at night. When mental health issues and sleep issues come together, there can be a double helical spiral downwards where each makes the other worse until something is done about either or both. Elijah experienced profound suicidal depression, which the Lord helped him manage by giving him rest and food (1 Kings 19:4-8). This shows how much an impact sleep can have on our mental health.

References:

• Almarzouki, A. F., Mandili, R. L., Salloom, J., Kamal, L. K., Alharthi, O., Alharthi, S., Khayyat, N., & Baglagel, A. M. (2022, November 10). The impact of sleep and mental health on working memory and academic performance: a longitudinal study. Brain Sciences.
• Carpi, M., Cianfarani, C., & Vestri, A. (2022, March 1). Sleep Quality and its Associations with Physical and Mental Health-Related Quality of Life among University Students: A Cross-Sectional Study. Brain Sciences.
• Johri, K., Pillai, R., Kulkarni, A., & Balkrishnan, R. (2025). Effects of sleep deprivation on the mental health of adolescents: a systematic review. Sleep Science and Practice, 9(1).
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• Sharma, S., Chatterjee, K., Rath, T. K., Mahajan, S., Samanta, I., Misra, A., & Kaul, S. M. (2025). Assessment of sleep quality, daytime sleepiness, and sleep hygiene practices among adults in a metropolitan city: a cross-sectional study. International Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health, 12(8), 3724–3732.
• Wongsiri, N., & Kuroda, K. (2023, October 13). The Importance of Maintaining good sleep hygiene for Mental Wellness: a review.