Invest In Rest: Better Sleep Improves Mental Health

What if one of the most powerful tools for protecting Europe’s mental health has been hiding in plain sight in our bedrooms? 

As this European Mental Health Week shines a light on how social policies can shape mental health, it’s time to address a neglected but crucial part of the equation: sleep. This one foundational factor is still missing from policy conversations, despite its strong association with both mental and physical health.¹

Good sleep is not a luxury. It is a biological necessity, as vital to our overall health as diet and exercise. Yet it remains strikingly absent from public health strategies across the EU. Public health initiatives on sleep are missing, funding is lacking and specific campaigns on sleep health are not yet to be seen.

Good sleep is not a luxury. It is a biological necessity, as vital to our overall health as diet and exercise.

Sleep and mental health: the overlooked link 

Sleep is deeply intertwined with social and biological determinants of health. Despite overwhelming scientific evidence linking poor sleep to mental disorders and chronic diseases,² European public health strategies have been slow to respond.

The relationship between sleep and mental health is especially strong and equally underestimated. Research shows that over 50 percent of people diagnosed with depression also suffer from a sleep disorder,³ and 75 percent of individuals with depression report insomnia symptoms.⁴ These aren’t mere correlations. Poor sleep doesn’t just accompany mental health issues, it often precedes them, worsens them and can make recovery far more difficult. In other words, treating sleep disorders isn’t just about improving rest, it can improve lives. 

Poor sleep doesn’t just accompany mental health issues, it often precedes them, worsens them and can make recovery far more difficult. In other words, treating sleep disorders isn’t just about improving rest, it can improve lives.

Not addressing sleep health as a regular part of preventive care management has a significant clinical, economic and social impact. This year’s European Mental Health Week rightly emphasizes that mental health does not exist in isolation. It is shaped by social factors like housing, education and employment. People in precarious jobs, shift workers or those with caregiving responsibilities often suffer from poor sleep and lack access to care or diagnosis.⁵ 

Schools and universities rarely teach about healthy sleep. Workplaces often reward overwork and all-nighters, and frontline healthcare workers – from GPs to therapists -are seldom trained to screen for sleep disorders as part of routine mental health care and health check-ups. That is a missed opportunity with far-reaching consequences. 

Why the EU should act now  

We are at a turning point. The EU’s Healthier Together initiative and the recently launched Mental Health Strategy offer ideal frameworks to integrate sleep health and sleep disorders into Europe’s broader approach to non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and mental health.

For example, a common condition, obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), causes repeated breathing disruptions during sleep and leads to daytime sleepiness, impaired concentration, depression and an increased risk of cardiovascular events. Alarmingly, nearly 80 percent of OSA cases are estimated to go undiagnosed.⁶ This silent burden comes at a high cost, not only to individual lives but also to Europe’s economy. The annual healthcare and societal costs of cardiovascular diseases associated with untreated sleep apnoea exceed €120 billion in Europe.⁷  

Furthermore, better insomnia management alone has been shown to reduce depression symptoms and anxiety, while also enhancing overall quality of life and reducing demand on overburdened mental health systems.⁸ These are low-cost, high-impact interventions. 

So what can policymakers do? 

• First, integrate sleep health into European NCD and mental health strategies. This includes developing guidelines that promote early screening for sleep disorders in primary and mental health care. 

• Second, raise public awareness. Many people do not know that chronic fatigue, mood swings or difficulty concentrating may be symptoms of a treatable sleep disorder. By integrating sleep education into public health campaigns in workplaces, schools and digital platforms, we can empower citizens to seek help early, before symptoms escalate. 

• Third, improve access to screening and diagnosis, especially for under-detected conditions like OSA and insomnia. This requires both investment and political will, but the payoff is significant: fewer hospital admissions,⁹ less workplace absenteeism¹⁰ and stronger mental health outcomes across the population. 

Invest in rest 

At Resmed, we believe that to build a healthier, more resilient Europe, we must invest in rest as a serious policy principle. Sleep is one of the most cost-effective levers we have for improving public health.

Sleep is one of the most cost-effective levers we have for improving public health.

Addressing sleep disorders at scale could lead to fewer mental health problems, increased workplace productivity, fewer accidents¹¹ and significant cost savings across health and social care systems. Simply put, it could help people stay in work, thrive in school and be more present with their families without the burden of chronic exhaustion or untreated illness. 

This European Mental Health Week should be a wake-up call. As the European Union advances its mental health agenda, it must recognize sleep as central to how we think, feel, work and live. It’s time to bring sleep out of the shadows and into the heart of Europe’s health strategy. Because when we invest in rest, we invest in people, public health and in the future of Europe itself.

References

¹ Clement-Carbonell, V., Portilla-Tamarit, I., Rubio-Aparicio, M., & Madrid-Valero, J. J. (2021). Sleep Quality, Mental and Physical Health: A Differential Relationship. International journal of environmental research and public health, 18(2), 460. 

² Ramos, A. R., Wheaton, A. G., & Johnson, D. A. (2023). Sleep Deprivation, Sleep Disorders, and Chronic Disease. Preventing chronic disease, 20, E77. 

³ Breslau N, Roth T, Rosenthal L, Andreski P. Sleep disturbance and pschiatric disorders: a longitudinal epidemiological study of young adults. Biol Psychiatry. 1996;39:411-418. 

⁴ Nutt D, Wilson S, Paterson L. Sleep disorders as core symptoms of depression. Dialogues Clin Neurosci. 2008;10(3):329-336. doi:10.31887/DCNS.2008.10.3/dnutt.  

⁵ Jaydarifard, S., Smith, S. S., Rossa, K. R., Mann, D., Nikooharf Salehi, E., & Shekari Soleimanloo, S. (2023). Sleep mediates the relationship between precarious employment and mental health. Sleep medicine: X, 6, 100092. 

⁶ Goyal M, Johnson J. Obstructive Sleep Apnea Diagnosis and Management. Mo Med. 2017;114(2):120-124.  

⁷ European Respiratory Society (ERS). (2021). The economic burden of lung disease in Europe: A study of 28 European countries. 

⁸ Bonnet, M., & Arand, D. (2022, April 15). Risk factors, comorbidities, and consequences of insomnia in adults. In R. Benca (Ed.). 

⁹ Ronald, J, Delaive, K, Roos, L, et al. Health care utilization in the 10 years prior to diagnosis in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome patients. Sleep 1999;22:225-9. 

¹⁰ Hafner, M., et al. (2017). Why sleep matters – the economic costs of insufficient sleep: A cross-country comparative analysis. RAND Europe. 

¹¹ Hafner, M., et al. (2017). Why sleep matters – the economic costs of insufficient sleep: A cross-country comparative analysis. RAND Europe.