The impact of sleep deprivation on relationships and society

Monday, June 3, 2024.

How does lack of sleep affect relationships and social connections?

As a couples therapist, it's crucial to recognize how various aspects of health, including sleep, impact relationships.

Research shows that around half of people in developed societies do not get enough sleep. This lack of sleep does more than just affect individual well-being—it significantly impacts relationships and societal interactions.

The Link Between Sleep and Selfishness

Lack of sleep can make people more selfish, destroying the fundamentals of empathy and social conscience.

One study ingeniously demonstrated this by showing that people give less to charity in the week following the change to Daylight Saving Time when they 'lose' one hour of sleep. Interestingly, this dip in charitable giving was not observed in autumn, when people gain an extra hour of sleep.

Sleep and Mental Health

Professor Matthew Walker, a co-author of the study, highlights the profound connection between sleep health and mental health:

“Over the past 20 years, we have discovered a very intimate link between our sleep health and our mental health. Indeed, we’ve not been able to discover a single major psychiatric condition in which sleep is normal.

But this new work demonstrates that a lack of sleep not only damages the health of an individual, but degrades social interactions between individuals and, furthermore, degrades the very fabric of human society itself.

How we operate as a social species—and we are a social species—seems profoundly dependent on how much sleep we are getting.”

In other words, sleep deprivation is not just a personal issue; it affects those around you, including your partner and social circle.

Sleep Deprivation's Ripple Effect

Dr. Eti Ben Simon, the study’s first author, emphasizes that the effects of sleep loss extend beyond the individual:

“We’re starting to see more and more studies, including this one, where the effects of sleep loss don’t just stop at the individual but propagate to those around us.

If you’re not getting enough sleep, it doesn’t just hurt your well-being, it hurts the well-being of your entire social circle, including strangers.”

Empathy and Social Interactions

In a series of studies, researchers found that the areas of the brain that are important for empathy and understanding others are less active after a sleepless night. Dr. Simon elaborates:

“When we think about other people, this network engages and allows us to comprehend the other person’s needs: What are they thinking about? Are they in pain? Do they need help?

However, this network was markedly impaired when individuals were sleep-deprived. It’s as though these parts of the brain fail to respond when we are trying to interact with other people after not getting enough sleep.”

Helping Behavior and Sleep Quality

A second study assessed people's willingness to help others after a poor night’s sleep. Dr. Simon explained:

“Here, we found that a decrease in the quality of someone’s sleep from one night to the next predicted a significant decrease in the desire to help other people from one subsequent day to the next.

Those with poor sleep the night prior were the ones that reported being less willing and keen to help others the following day.”

Charitable Giving and Sleep Deprivation

The third part of the research revealed a drop in charitable giving during the transition to Daylight Saving Time, when people lose one hour of sleep. Dr. Simon noted:

“Even a very modest ‘dose’ of sleep deprivation—here, just the loss of one single hour of sleep opportunity linked to daylight saving time—has a very measurable and very real impact on people’s generosity and, therefore, how we function as a connected society. When people lose one hour of sleep, there’s a clear hit on our innate human kindness and our motivation to help other people in need.”

The Loneliness Factor

Sleep deprivation also contributes to feelings of loneliness and social withdrawal. Professor Walker stated:

“Looking at the big picture, we’re starting to see that a lack of sleep results in a quite asocial and, from a helping perspective, anti-social individual, which has manifold consequences to how we live together as a social species. A lack of sleep makes people less empathetic, less generous, more socially withdrawn, and it’s infectious—there is contagion of loneliness. The realization that the quantity and quality of sleep affects an entire society, caused by an impairment in prosocial behavior, may provide insights into our societal state of affairs in the present day.”

Final thoughts

As a couples therapist, it’s essential to address sleep health when working with clients.

Understanding that sleep deprivation impacts not only individual health but also social interactions and relationships can help guide therapeutic interventions.

Encouraging better sleep hygiene could improve not only personal well-being but also the quality of relationships and societal cohesion.

Be Well, Stay Kind, and Godspeed.

RESEARCH:

The study discussed here was published in the journal PLOS Biology (Simon et al., 2022).