Why Is Sleep Important?

Take our Sleep Habits Test

Find a sleep therapist near me

When homework spirals into mental overload, nothing more is going to get done.

Sacrificing rest sabotages the very brain functions needed to learn and stay regulated.

Regardless of why the work is delayed, define the endpoint in advance.

It’s midnight when my cellphone rings. On the line is my 16-year-old patient, overwhelmed by a sudden wave of panic. Her heart is racing, she’s in a cold sweat, and her thoughts feel like a cyclone. Through shallow breath and wobbling sobs, she reveals the trigger: a 10-page paper due tomorrow that she only started yesterday. Paralyzed by the fear of failing, she is stuck.

I sit up, turn on my bedside light, and shake the sleep from my brain. We start with the most urgent need: slowing down her breathing to calm her nervous system. Counting breaths is all her brain can handle right now, so that’s where we begin. Once her breathing settles, I offer a solution that shocks her: put away the homework and go to bed.

She pushes back, terrified of the consequences. But I give her the same reasoning I give every patient in this situation: No productive work is getting done tonight. Your brain is exhausted. Sleep now, and problem-solve in the morning. While discussions with her parents and teacher will still need to happen, facing tomorrow on zero sleep will only guarantee........

© Psychology Today