Common causes of sleep problems

There's a close relationship between sleep and mental health. Living with a mental health problem can affect how well you sleep and poor sleep can have a negative impact on your mental health.

The things that affect our sleep differ for everyone. They can include:

• Stresses or worries for example, issues with money, housing or work
• Problems with where you sleep for example, if you sleep somewhere uncomfortable or unsafe, or where you're easily disturbed
• Health conditions relating to sleep, also known as sleep disorders
• Being a parent or carer
• Taking medication, including starting or coming off medication
• Using recreational drugs and alcohol
• Working at night or being a shift worker
• Current or past trauma
• Neurodiversity for example ADHD or autism
• Mental health problems
• Physical health problems

If you have problems sleeping, this could make your mental health worse or it might cause other problems that impact your mental health.

Adapted from https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/sleep-problems/sleep-and-mental-health/