Sleep deprivation changes the brain's chemistry itself
Each year, as the world tilts toward spring, the World Sleep Society calls attention to what has become one of modernity's quietest crises — the widespread erosion of restorative sleep. In the wake of the pandemic, insomnia has deepened its hold across populations, compounding into anxiety, depression, and dependency on medications that can worsen the very condition they are meant to treat. On this World Sleep Day 2022, experts gather not in resignation but with a growing toolkit of evidence-based remedies — from ancient practices like acupuncture to dietary and botanical interventions — affirming that sleeplessness, however widespread, need not be a permanent condition.
- Post-pandemic insomnia has surged across all age groups, with doctors reporting a sharp rise in complaints that shows no sign of slowing.
- Left untreated, insomnia spirals — sleeplessness feeds anxiety, anxiety feeds depression, and depression often leads to psychotropic medications that further disrupt sleep.
- Older adults face a compounded burden as aging rewires sleep architecture, fragmenting the natural rhythm of sleep stages and shifting the body's internal clock.
- Experts are pushing non-pharmaceutical pathways — sleep hygiene, meditation, botanical compounds, nutraceuticals, and acupuncture — as credible, evidence-backed alternatives.
- Acupuncture has emerged as a particularly compelling intervention, with research showing measurable sleep improvement even among schizophrenic patients, suggesting deep links between sleep and psychiatric health.
- The broader message landing this World Sleep Day is that insomnia is a medical condition deserving serious attention, not a personal failing — and that relief is within reach through multiple converging approaches.
Every year on the Friday before the spring equinox, the World Sleep Society marks World Sleep Day — a global effort to confront the epidemic of sleeplessness quietly reshaping millions of lives. This year's theme, "Quality Sleep, Sound Mind, Happy World," arrives as the problem has grown sharper. Since the pandemic, insomnia complaints have multiplied across medical practices with no sign of slowing.
Insomnia is a condition that compounds itself. Sleeplessness breeds anxiety, anxiety breeds depression, and depression often pulls people toward psychotropic medications that can worsen the original problem. Dr. Animesh Arya of Sri Balaji Action Medical Institute describes the cascade plainly: untreated insomnia opens the door to serious mental and physical health risks that extend far beyond fatigue.
Older adults bear a particular burden. Dr. H P Bharathi of Jindal Naturecure Institute explains that sleep is structured in stages — four phases of non-REM sleep and one of REM — which flow in predictable rhythm in younger people but fracture with age. Older adults struggle to fall asleep, wake repeatedly through the night, and find their circadian rhythms shifting in ways that further erode sleep quality.
Yet insomnia is neither inevitable nor untreatable. Experts point to a wide range of non-pharmaceutical interventions: darkened bedrooms free of screen light, reduced caffeine, increased physical activity, and consistent routines form the foundation. Beyond these, meditation combined with botanical compounds like L-theanine, passionflower, and ashwagandha has shown effectiveness, as have nutraceuticals such as melatonin and tryptophan. Even the gut microbiome plays a role, with fermented foods and probiotics helping restore balance.
Acupuncture has accumulated particularly striking evidence. By stimulating specific body points, it triggers the release of opioid peptides with sedating effects — and research tracking 500 schizophrenic patients found measurable sleep improvement following treatment, suggesting that sleep disorders and psychiatric conditions are deeply intertwined.
What emerges is not a single cure but a toolkit. The recognition that insomnia is a serious medical condition with multiple evidence-based pathways to relief — rather than a personal failing — may itself be the first step toward rest for the millions lying awake at night.
Every year on the Friday before the spring equinox, the World Sleep Society convenes to mark World Sleep Day—a global effort to push back against the epidemic of sleeplessness that has quietly reshaped how millions of people move through their days. This year's theme, "Quality Sleep, Sound Mind, Happy World," arrives at a moment when the problem has only deepened. Since the pandemic, doctors have watched insomnia complaints multiply across their patient rosters, a surge that shows no sign of slowing.
Insomnia is not a minor inconvenience. It is a condition that compounds itself. A person lies awake at night, and the anxiety about lying awake keeps them awake longer. The sleeplessness breeds worry, which breeds depression, which sometimes leads to medication—psychotropic drugs that can themselves worsen the original problem. Dr. Animesh Arya, a sleep disorder specialist at Sri Balaji Action Medical Institute, describes the cascade plainly: untreated insomnia can trigger anxiety and depression, which then pull people toward medications that further complicate their ability to sleep. The physical toll follows. Chronic sleep deprivation erodes the body's defenses, opening the door to serious health risks that extend far beyond fatigue.
The problem hits older adults with particular force. As people age, their sleep architecture—the internal structure of sleep itself—changes in measurable ways. Dr. H P Bharathi, Deputy Chief Medical Officer at Jindal Naturecure Institute, explains that sleep is divided into stages: four phases of non-rapid eye movement sleep and one of rapid-eye-movement sleep. In younger people, these stages flow in a predictable rhythm. In older people, the pattern fractures. They fall asleep with difficulty, then wake repeatedly in the night or in the early morning hours, unable to drift back. The circadian rhythm—the body's internal clock—shifts as well, further destabilizing sleep quality. Age, in other words, rewires the brain's capacity for rest.
But insomnia is not inevitable, and it is not untreatable. Experts point to a range of interventions that do not require a prescription pad. The foundation is lifestyle: diet matters, sleep hygiene matters, the physical environment matters. A bedroom should be dark—genuinely dark, without the blue light that screens emit. Caffeine should be cut or eliminated. Physical activity should increase. Routines should be established and kept. Beyond these basics, the evidence widens. Meditation and mindfulness practices, combined with specific botanical compounds like L-theanine, passionflower, and ashwagandha, have shown effectiveness. Certain nutraceuticals—glycine, melatonin, tryptophan—can address hormonal imbalances that disrupt sleep. The gut microbiome plays a role too; fermented foods and probiotics help restore balance.
One alternative therapy has accumulated particularly striking evidence: acupuncture. By stimulating specific points on the body, practitioners trigger the release of opioid peptides that produce sedating and pain-relieving effects. Research has documented that acupuncture works not only for simple insomnia but for sleep disorders rooted in mental illness. A case study followed 500 schizophrenic patients who received acupuncture treatment; afterward, they reported measurable improvement in their sleep patterns. The finding suggests that sleep problems and psychiatric conditions are not separate phenomena but intertwined—and that addressing one can shift the other.
What emerges from these expert perspectives is not a single cure but a toolkit. Some people will need dietary change. Others will benefit from meditation. Still others will find their answer in acupuncture or botanical medicine or a combination of approaches. The point is that insomnia, particularly in its post-pandemic surge, is now recognized as a problem worth taking seriously—not as a personal failing but as a medical condition with multiple evidence-based pathways to relief. For the millions lying awake at night, that recognition itself may be the first step toward sleep.
Notable Quotes
Insomnia can lead to anxiety, depression and use of certain unwanted psychotropic medications which may further complicate insomnia— Dr. Animesh Arya, Sleep Disorder Specialist
Age has its effects on sleep architecture, resulting in increased amounts of nocturnal wakefulness in older people compared to younger ones— Dr. H P Bharathi, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Jindal Naturecure Institute
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why does insomnia seem to have gotten worse since the pandemic?
The pandemic disrupted everything—routines, schedules, the ability to move freely. Anxiety spiked. People were confined indoors. The conditions that trigger insomnia multiplied, and for many, the habit of poor sleep stuck around even after lockdowns ended.
You mentioned that insomnia can actually cause depression and anxiety, not just the other way around. How does that work?
Sleep deprivation changes the brain's chemistry. When you're not sleeping, your emotional regulation falls apart. You become more vulnerable to worry, to rumination. Then you start taking medication to manage the anxiety, but some of those drugs can make sleep worse. It's a trap that feeds itself.
Why does aging make insomnia worse?
The architecture of sleep itself changes. The stages don't flow as smoothly. The body's internal clock shifts. It's not that older people are doing anything wrong—their physiology has genuinely altered in ways that make continuous sleep harder to achieve.
Of all the treatments mentioned, which ones surprised you most?
Acupuncture, honestly. The idea that stimulating specific points in the body can release compounds that help you sleep—and that it works even for people with schizophrenia—suggests sleep problems are more deeply rooted in the body's systems than we often assume.
If someone is lying awake right now, what's the first thing they should try?
Start with the environment. Make the room dark. Cut caffeine. Establish a routine. These are free and they work for many people. If that doesn't help, then explore the other options—meditation, botanical compounds, acupuncture. There's no one answer, but there are answers.