Sleep psychologist says sleep is key to mental health and learning
As finals approach, students might find themselves sacrificing “luxuries” such as free time, socializing, and sleep. Yet, all of these activities are important for good mental health and academic success.
“Research on memory and sleep is quite conclusive that better sleep means better learning,” shares BYU psychology professor Daniel Kay in an interview. This is because sleep plays a crucial role in helping someone retain what they’ve learned.
“You're going to learn better after a good night's sleep, and sleeping well after learning allows you to consolidate the memory so that you can remember it later — for both short-term recall and long-term retention.”
But sleep also has an important impact on mental health, which is another factor for academic success, and an area of psychology research Kay is focused on. He and co-investigators have published articles on how insomnia impacts mental health, including suicidality, in different populations.
“Insomnia, difficulty going to sleep or going back to sleep when awakened in the night or early morning, in particular, is associated with mental health problems,” says Kay in a Deseret News article on the importance of sleep. Over time, this creates a vicious cycle where lack of sleep exacerbates mental health issues and leads to greater emotional instability and more negative thoughts, which isn’t a good recipe for doing well in school.
For students struggling with healthy sleep schedules, Kay advises a balanced approach: “It’s important to value sleep without obsessing over it.”
That may be easier said than done, but have you ever noticed an insomniac who wasn’t obsessed with sleep or a well-rested person who thinks about sleep?
Between late-night study sessions, socializing, and newfound independence, it’s easy for unhealthy sleep patterns to emerge in the college setting. “For many students a lot of that structure that allows for regular sleep came from parents or mission schedules and then was lost at a critical point in college,” says Kay.
“But now is the time to really figure out the discipline needed for time management and prioritization because developing healthy habits will pay dividends and help you achieve what you want in the long run.”
One way to develop a healthy sleep-learning pattern is to work your way back from deadlines and distribute studying material over several days. That way, study is interspersed with sleep. By planning ahead, you can ensure your brain has the regular sleep it needs.
As finals approach, remember that sleep isn’t just a break from the grind. It’s a fundamental pillar of both academic performance and mental health. Valuing sleep is an investment in your ability to learn, regulate emotions, and manage stress.
More about sleep psychology
Kay and another BYU psychology professor, Kara Duraccio, are shining a light on the importance of sleep as a cornerstone of well-being through their research on the psychology of sleep. Sleep psychology is an emerging field that aims to understand the essence of human experiences across sleep-wake states.
Duraccio and Kay were instrumental in launching a sleep psychology journal that's the first publication focused on the psychology of sleep and how it relates to mental health. Kay is the inaugural editor in chief of the journal Research Directions: Sleep Psychology from Cambridge University Press.
Duraccio and Kay also developed and lead the Consortium of Sleep Psychology for BYU faculty and students who are interested in studying sleep. They host weekly trainings, lectures, and lab sessions, and mentor graduate and undergraduate students in sleep psychology research that is regularly presented at an annual conference and then written as papers for potential publication.
“This is a really exciting development for our field,” Kay adds. “We’re not just advancing the science, we’re preparing the next generation of specialists who will tackle these complex issues.”