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Mental Health

Struggling With Sleep? Here’s How To Feel Better The Next Day

Ava Durgin
Author:
Ava Durgin
July 29, 2025
Ava Durgin
Assistant Health Editor
By Ava Durgin
Assistant Health Editor
Ava Durgin is the Assistant Health Editor at mindbodygreen. She is a recent graduate from Duke University where she received a B.A. in Global Health and Psychology. In her previous work, Ava served as the Patient Education Lead for Duke Hospital affiliated programs, focusing on combating food insecurity and childhood obesity.
Image by Jimena Roquero / Stocksy
July 29, 2025

Didn’t sleep great last night?

Before canceling your plans or hitting snooze again, consider this: A brisk workout might be just what your mood needs. Research1 found that exercise can buffer the emotional toll of poor sleep, especially when it comes to a bad night’s rest impacting how you feel the next day.

Why sleep and emotions are so intertwined

It’s no secret that sleep and mood are closely connected. Poor sleep can leave you feeling irritable, anxious, or down, and a pattern of restless nights is linked to more serious mental health concerns. This new study zoomed in on how your daily sleep habits affect your next-day emotional well-being, while also testing if two lifestyle habits, exercise and socializing, can help soften the blow.

Here's what they found

  • The study1 followed 455 adults over 20 days using a daily diary approach.
  • People who had trouble falling asleep or experienced poor sleep efficiency reported lower positive mood and more negative emotions the next day.
  • Sleeping too little or too much was also linked to a worse mood.
  • Exercise helped offset the emotional effects of bad sleep, helping participants feel better even after a rough night.
  • Socializing had a different benefit: It amplified the emotional upsides of a good night’s sleep, making people feel even better when they were well-rested.

The takeaway

Sleep is essential for emotional health, but life happens, and some nights are better than others. The good news? Moving your body and spending time with others can help you bounce back. So if you're dragging today, a walk, gym session, or coffee date might be exactly what your nervous system needs.

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