NEW YORK — Americans are chronically sleep deprived: One-third of adults say they get less than seven hours a night.

In a 2022 survey, half of those who slept less than seven hours each weekday reported having depressive symptoms.

What happens to our mental health if we don’t get enough sleep, and what can be done about it?

HOW DOES POOR SLEEP AFFECT YOUR MOOD? When people have trouble sleeping, it changes how they experience stress and negative emotions, said Dr Aric Prather, a sleep researcher at the University of California, San Francisco.

“And for some, this can have a feed-forward effect — feeling bad, ruminating, feeling stressed can bleed into our nights,” he said.

Ask yourself how you feel during the day: Are you more impatient or quick to anger? Have more negative thoughts? Is it harder to cope with stress? If so, it’s time to take action.

HOW DO YOU STOP THE CYCLE? We’ve all heard how important it is to practice good sleep hygiene, employing the daily habits that promote healthy sleep. It’s important to speak with your doctor in order to rule out any physical issues that need to be addressed. But this is only part of the solution.

Conditions like anxiety and PTSD (Post-traumatic stress disorder) can make it harder to sleep, which can then exacerbate the symptoms of mental illness, which in turn makes it harder to sleep.

Certain medications, including psychiatric drugs like antidepressants, can also cause insomnia. If you suspect there’s a problem, experts say talk to your physician.

The cycle can also afflict those without mental health disorders, when worries worsen sleep and a lack of sleep worsens mood.

Ms Carly Demler, 40, said she went to bed one night and never fell asleep. After that, she was up at least once a week until 3am or 4am. It continued for over a year.

She became irritable, less patient and far more anxious. In the end, it was cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia, or CBT-I., that brought Ms Demler the most relief.

Studies have found that CBT-I. is more effective than sleep medications are over the long term: As many as 80 per cent of the people who try it see improvements in their sleep.

Ms Demler learned not to “lay in bed and freak out”. She gets up and reads so as not to associate her room with anxiety, then returns to bed when she’s tired.

Now, each morning, she said she feels well rested.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.