Find helpful resources for improving sleep and supporting mental health, including a quiz, books, blog posts, journal prompts, sleep apps, podcasts, and TED or TEDx Talks.
Table of Contents
Quiz
Books
Blog Posts
- 8 Products That Might Actually Help You Sleep Better
- How to Manage Sleep Anxiety?
- How To Stop Worrying And Fall Asleep?
- How to Stop Nightmares From Ruining Your Sleep?
- Top 50 Positive Sleep Affirmations To Enjoy A Good Night’s Sleep
Journal Prompts
- What stood out most about today?
- What took up most of your energy today?
- What drained you today?
- What supported you today?
- What felt harder than expected today?
Sleep Apps
- Insomnia Coach
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A free CBT-I based app from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs for people struggling with insomnia. It includes a structured training plan, sleep diary, personalized sleep feedback, and practical strategies for changing habits that keep insomnia going. - CBT-i Coach
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Designed to support Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia with a healthcare professional. It includes sleep tracking, CBT-I education, tools for challenging unhelpful beliefs about sleep, and strategies for improving sleep patterns. - Sleepio
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A digital CBT-I program developed by sleep researchers. It teaches structured strategies for changing sleep-related thinking, rebuilding stronger sleep patterns, and reducing the cycle of worrying about not sleeping.
Sleep and Mental Health Podcasts
- Sleep Unplugged With Dr. Chris Winter
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Hosted by neurologist and sleep specialist Dr. Chris Winter. Episodes cover insomnia, anxiety about sleep, sleep disorders, medications, sleep tracking, mental health, and common misconceptions that can actually make people more worried about sleeping. - The Sleep Is A Skill Podcast
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A long-running podcast featuring sleep physicians, psychologists, researchers, and other specialists. Topics include insomnia, circadian rhythms, anxiety, depression, sleep habits, light exposure, medications, and behavioral approaches to better sleep.
- Rethinking Sleep and Mental Health — Speaking of Psychology
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Clinical psychologist Dr. Philip Gehrman explains the two-way relationship between sleep and mental health. The episode covers insomnia, depression, anxiety, circadian rhythms, and why treating sleep problems can sometimes improve psychological symptoms as well. - CBT-I: The First-Line Treatment for Chronic Insomnia — The Carlat Psychiatry Podcast
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Sleep specialist Dr. Donn Posner explains how chronic insomnia develops and what CBT-I actually involves. It covers sleep diaries, time-in-bed restriction, conditioned wakefulness, and why trying harder to force sleep can become part of the problem. - The Truth About Sleeping Pills and Insomnia — The Med Free Mental Fitness Podcast
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Professor Colin Espie explains chronic insomnia, catastrophic thoughts about sleep, CBT-I, sleeping medication, nighttime worry, and why changing the way someone responds to sleeplessness can be more important than chasing perfect sleep. - Why Sleeping Pills May Miss the Problem — The Sleep Is A Skill Podcast
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Sleep physician Dr. Meredith Broderick discusses insomnia, waking during the night, sleep apnea, sleep diaries, medications, and why identifying the actual cause of poor sleep matters before assuming another sleeping pill is the answer.
TED & TEDx Talks About Sleep and Mental Health
- How Sleep Affects Your Emotions — Matt Walker
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Explains why poor sleep can make emotional reactions stronger and make everyday problems feel harder to manage. It is particularly useful for understanding the connection between sleep, irritability, mood, and emotional control. - What Causes Insomnia? — Dan Kwartler
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One of TED’s most popular explanations of insomnia. It shows how worrying about not sleeping can itself make sleep more difficult and explains the cycle that can turn occasional bad nights into chronic insomnia. - Why Do We Sleep? — Russell Foster
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Circadian neuroscientist Russell Foster explains why sleep matters for the brain and discusses connections between disrupted sleep and mental health. The talk also challenges several common beliefs about how much sleep everyone supposedly needs. - How to Deal With Your Insomnia — and Finally Get to Sleep — Matt Walker
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Sleep scientist Matt Walker discusses insomnia and why quick fixes do not necessarily address the underlying problem. He explains why CBT-I is an important treatment for persistent insomnia. - Stories From the Sleep Clinic: Better Nights for Better Days — Kirstie Anderson
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Sleep specialist Dr. Kirstie Anderson shares lessons from treating sleep problems and explains how poor sleep can affect mood, memory, daily functioning, and serious mental-health conditions. - Why Sleep Matters Now More Than Ever — Matt Walker
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A broader discussion of how sleep affects memory, mood, health, and everyday functioning. Walker also addresses common sleep myths and behaviors that can improve or interfere with sleep.
