Recharging Right: Getting The Best Out of Your Sleep

Written by: Maryam Adhyan Shafeeq

How many of us actually get the required number of hours of sleep? Since our teenage years, many of us have pushed sleep aside to wake up early and study for an exam. As we grew up, we got more challenging assignments in college or university, and we learned to stay up late to submit them at the last minute. Some of us started working, and suddenly we began waking up extremely early for work or staying up extremely late because after work was the only time we had to socialise. Some people also fall asleep right after work and end up sleeping too much. Now, how does this impact our mental health, and our ability to function throughout the day? Getting the optimal amount of sleep our brain needs to rest, reset, and refresh for the next day is crucial for long-term health. 

What are some things that happen when someone is unable to get the right amount of sleep? The majority of the research states that the best amount of sleep a person can get is between 7 and 9 hours (Baranwal, Phoebe, & Siegel, 2023). However, for some, even 6 hours could be a challenge unless they really try to prioritise their regular sleep schedule. Years ago, people were convinced that mental health conditions were what led to sleep problems, however based on later developments, it was found that not getting enough sleep can lead to the onset, recurrence, and persistence of some mental health conditions (Li, Zhong, & Meng, 2025). While there are various sleep disorders that could have a hand in one’s quality of sleep, it’s important to note that even without the presence of these disorders, the duration and the quality of sleep can impact a person’s daily functioning. That being said, studies have shown that people with insomnia have a significantly higher chance of having clinically severe anxiety and depression (Li, Zhong, & Meng, 2025). Therefore, prioritising getting proper rest and good sleep is extremely important. 

Lack of sleep can cause various difficulties in our daily functioning. From how one’s body systems function, a lack of proper sleep can impact their cardiovascular health, the immune system, reproductive health, hormone regulation, and mental health, including cognition and memory consolidation (Baranwal, Phoebe, & Siegel, 2023). When trying to understand how your sleep affects your body, you need to know how the circadian rhythm works. Circadian rhythm is the main clock that your body follows on a day-to-day basis, managing sleep-wake cycles, hormone regulation, body temperature, and metabolism; therefore, it is easily influenced by external factors such as light and dark exposures and social cues (Baranwal, Phoebe, & Siegel, 2023). This is because light signals send messages to the brain, signalling that it’s daytime, and when there is low light, melatonin is secreted, a hormone that directly affects the sleep regulatory mechanism in us (Baranwal, Phoebe, & Siegel, 2023). This is why getting the right amount of sleep has such a big impact on how our bodies function throughout the day, as it can directly pull the strings on how our hormones are regulated, how our moods are, and even our energy levels.

Achieving the right amount of sleep can work wonders on our bodies. When we let ourselves fall into a set daily routine, our bodies are used to the changes in our environment at the set times. For example, in the evening, opting to have dim lighting in our homes and avoiding bright, stark overhead lighting can help our bodies return to a calm, resting state. Studies have shown that the most effective form of improving sleep quality for the long term is to include healthy sleep-promoting routines, which include behavioural and lifestyle changes that prioritise sleep time that positively influence sleep quality and duration (Baranwal, Phoebe, & Siegel, 2023). Examples of such things are having a constant bedtime routine, avoiding caffeine consumption in the late afternoon and evening, creating dark, cool, and quiet sleeping environments, and avoiding too much light exposure, even from electronics close to bedtime. Having such practices in place can allow your body to recalibrate itself during sleep, allowing one to have clear cognition, more energy, balanced hormones, which can result in a healthier mood, and better metabolism and immunity (Solomon, 2022). 

While our lives can get very busy with extremely time-consuming plans and responsibilities, let us try to prioritise resting to properly prepare for the next day. It is impossible for one to function to their fullest without proper rest. Take the time to ensure you’re going to bed at a good time, so that it’s easier to wake up the next day ready to face everything head-on. We must ensure that we give time for our brain to properly recharge itself during the night.

References

Baranwal, N., Phoebe, K. Y., & Siegel, N. S. (2023). Sleep physiology, pathophysiology, and sleep hygiene. Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases, 77, 59-69.

Li, Z., Zhong, T., & Meng, X. (2025). A meta-analysis study evaluating the effects of sleep quality on mental health among the adult population. BMC Public Health, 25(1), 2992.

Solomon, C. (2022). Health Benefits of Sleep: Why Is Getting Enough Rest So Important. Alternative Medicine, (66), 26-29.