Ever noticed that after a rough night of sleep, you’re more irritable, less patient, or struggle to connect with others? It turns out, there’s science behind that. Poor sleep doesn’t just affect how we feel, it can also change how we relate to the people around us.
What the Research Says
A recent study published in the International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology looked at whether disrupted sleep reduces our ability to empathise with others. The researchers ran two studies involving over 500 adults.
In the first study, they tracked participants’ sleep habits over several days and found that people who reported poorer sleep quality also scored lower on traits like empathic concern and perspective-taking, the ability to step into someone else’s shoes.
In the second study, participants were randomly assigned to either sleep normally or be briefly woken up five times during the night. The next morning, those with disrupted sleep showed lower emotional responses to images of people in pain and felt less empathy for individuals described in painful scenarios. Even one night of broken sleep was enough to blunt their emotional sensitivity.
Why It Matters
Empathy is a foundation of healthy relationships – with family, friends, and colleagues. If poor sleep affects how well we connect with others, it may contribute to social tension, loneliness, and reduced wellbeing over time.
How to Get Help
If you’re experiencing disrupted sleep, one of our team members can help you. Evidence-based psychological treatments, such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I), are highly effective in improving sleep quality and reducing the impact of poor sleep on mood and wellbeing. If your sleep difficulties are due to other mental health problems we can help you identify these and work through effective therapies with you.
To book an appointment at the Centre for Clinical Psychology, please call (03) 9077 0122 or visit www.ccp.net.au.
References
Gordon-Hecker, T., Choshen-Hillel, S., Ben-Simon, E., Walker, M. P., Perry, A., & Gileles-Hillel, A. (2025). Restless nights, cold hearts: Poor sleep causally blunts empathy. International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology, 25(1), 1-10.
