The Healthspan Map · Sleep (Ch6)
Falling & staying asleep
Compiled by Aamir Malik, PhD, Professor of Neuroengineering at Brno University of Technology, from published studies. He is a researcher, not a physician. Last updated 21 August 2026.
What this is linked to
| Condition or system | Direction | Strength | Evidence type | What was found | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anxiety | Watch this | Moderate | RCT / meta-analysis | Poor/short sleep and anxiety are bidirectionally linked; better sleep lowers physiological arousal. | De Nys et al. 2022 (opens in a new tab) |
| Balance & falls risk | Watch this | Moderate | Cohort / observational | Frequent trouble falling asleep and mid-night waking raised falls 24-27%; insomnia symptoms predicted recurrent falls (OR 2.54). | Sleep & falls longitudinal study (SWAN, PMC11688990) (opens in a new tab) |
| Brain fog & memory | Watch this | Moderate | Systematic review | Sleep deprivation impairs attention and working memory; 7-8 h is optimal for cognition. | Sleep-cognition overview 2023 (opens in a new tab) |
| Chronic fatigue / low energy | Watch this | Moderate | Established clinical | Trouble initiating or maintaining sleep fragments the night and produces daytime tiredness. | Excessive daytime sleepiness review (AFP) (opens in a new tab) |
| Depression / low mood | Watch this | Strong | RCT / meta-analysis | Insomnia roughly doubles the risk of developing depression (OR 2.60); a core modifiable risk factor. | Baglioni et al. 2011 (opens in a new tab) |
| Headache & migraine | Watch this | Moderate | RCT / meta-analysis | Irregular sleep is a major migraine trigger; consistent sleep-wake schedules are a cornerstone of prevention. | Robblee & Starling 2019, Cleveland Clinic J Med; lifestyle-migraine meta 2024 (opens in a new tab) |
| Headache & migraine | Watch this | Moderate | Review / narrative | Irregular sleep is a major migraine trigger; consistent sleep-wake schedules are a cornerstone of prevention. | Robblee & Starling, "SEEDS for success: Lifestyle management in migraine", Cleve Clin J Med 2019 (opens in a new tab) |
| Reproductive & sexual health | Watch this | Emerging | Cohort / observational | Sleep continuity underpins the nocturnal testosterone surge; fragmented sleep blunts it. | Sleep restriction & testosterone (PMC6917985) (opens in a new tab) |
| Respiratory infections & airway health | Watch this | Moderate | Cohort / observational | Poorer sleep continuity/efficiency in the weeks before exposure lowered resistance to rhinovirus. | Sleep habits & the common cold (Cohen 2009) (opens in a new tab) |
| Weak immunity & chronic inflammation | Watch this | Moderate | Review / narrative | Insomnia and fragmented sleep predict lower influenza-vaccine antibody titres and higher inflammation. | The Sleep-Immune Crosstalk in Health and Disease, Physiol Rev 2019 (opens in a new tab) |
| Neurological & Mental Health | Watch this | Strong | RCT / meta-analysis | Insomnia roughly doubles the longitudinal risk of developing depression. | Baglioni et al., J Affect Disord 2011 (insomnia as predictor of depression, meta-analysis) (opens in a new tab) |
| General / Whole-body Energy | Watch this | Emerging | Established clinical | Insomnia produces daytime fatigue and functional impairment. | Insomnia-fatigue literature (opens in a new tab) |
The Healthspan Map is part of Fix the Floor, a book by Aamir Malik. About the book