Summary: Early studies showed that sleep disorders add to the risk of metabolic disorders. Now a new study suggests that lost sleep does more than sour your mood. It may also cut down how much you connect with people and how much you feel for them. Sleep-deprived people are more likely to keep their distance from others. They are also less likely to help others. Over time, this may raise the risk of many mental health disorders. You are only as healthy as your sleep. More and more evidence shows that sound sleep matters as much as diet and exercise. People who do not get enough sleep wake up feeling bad and cranky. They may get headaches and are less likely to talk with others. Research by Eti Ben Simon, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, shows that people who sleep less also help others less and talk to others less. Past studies tied lost sleep to a higher risk of anxiety, depression, poor control of emotions and other mood disorders. Studies also show that short sleepers are more likely to avoid people. They would rather keep their distance and even stay lonely. To test this, researchers ran a simple experiment. People in the study walked slowly toward a person standing still. They were told to stop when they felt they were close enough. To the researchers’ surprise, those who slept less stopped much earlier. They also kept more distance from other people. Researchers say lost sleep may change the brain. For example, it may lower activity in certain parts of the brain, and that makes people less social. Or take another study. In the study, researchers recorded brain activity with fMRI and asked the participants how likely they were to help others, such as opening doors or carrying bags. Those who slept less were less likely to help others. It did not matter if the person was family or a stranger. Researchers also found it was not only about how many hours someone slept. Sleep quality mattered a lot too. For example, people who woke up more often during the night were also less likely to help. Researchers say these findings do not rest on one study. They have seen the same pattern in several studies. For example, they found that sleep-deprived people were less likely to give to charity. They looked at 15 years of data. People gave 10% less during the shift to daylight saving time because of lost sleep. Studies show that sleep deprivation may even influence prescribing habits in doctors. Doctors were less likely to prescribe painkillers on night shifts than on day shifts. Sleep loss also appears to lower empathy, the ability to feel what others feel. Sleep-deprived people also appear to be less lively. So when people spend time with a sleep-deprived person, they are more likely to feel lonely. Researchers are most worried about a vicious cycle. If someone sleeps less and talks to people less, others may start to avoid that person. As a result, that person may pull back even more. That cuts social contact even further. From watching animals, researchers conclude that sleep loss is a stress response. Animals go without sleep only when they are migrating, having a baby, or starving. So health experts say that if you are short on sleep, you must focus on that right away. Sleep time and sleep quality must be your top priority, because enough sleep can help prevent, and even overcome, many health problems. Some experts even suggest that sleep matters more than diet or exercise. It is the base of good health. Without good sleep, the rest means little. So researchers say that if you feel unwell, one of the best things you can do is go to sleep. It would help lift your mood, ease anxiety, and even make you want to be kind to others.
Frequently asked questions
Does sleep deprivation make you selfish?
It makes people less willing to help. In studies from the University of California, people who slept less were less likely to help with small things. Think opening a door or carrying a bag. It did not matter if the person was family or a stranger. The pattern held across several studies. Over 15 years of data, giving to charity fell 10% during the shift to daylight saving time.
Can sleep deprivation affect your personality?
It changes how you deal with people. Short sleep appears to lower activity in certain parts of the brain. That makes people less social and less empathetic. Sleep-deprived people avoid social contact, keep more distance from others and come across as less lively. Past studies also tie lost sleep to anxiety, depression, poor emotional control and other mood disorders.
Can lack of sleep make you lonely?
Yes, and the loneliness spreads. In one experiment, people who had slept less stopped much earlier when walking toward another person, keeping more distance. Others who spend time with a sleep-deprived person tend to feel lonely too. Researchers worry about a vicious cycle. The tired person talks to people less. Others start to avoid them. Then they pull back even further.
Is it the number of hours or the quality of sleep that matters?
Both. Researchers found the effect was not only about how many hours someone slept. People who woke up more often during the night were also less likely to help others. So broken sleep carries its own cost. That is why sleep duration and sleep quality both deserve top priority when you are feeling run down.
What are the signs you are not getting enough sleep?
People who sleep too little wake up feeling unwell and irritable, may get headaches and are less likely to talk with or help others. Over time, short sleep raises the risk of anxiety, depression and other mood problems. Earlier studies also link sleep disorders to metabolic disorders. Getting enough sound sleep improves mood, lowers anxiety and even makes people kinder.
The Bottom Line
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Dr. Gurpreet Singh Padda, MD, MBA, MHP
