Optimism and Sleep: The Restorative Connection

By Victor Perton

People who are optimistic tend to sleep better, and people who sleep better tend to feel more optimistic.

Research confirms this powerful two-way link between optimism and restorative rest.

At the University of Illinois, studies led by Professor Rosalba Hernandez found that the most optimistic people are also the best sleepers. She explains:

“Optimists are more likely to engage in active, problem focused coping and to interpret stressful events in more positive ways, reducing worry and ruminative thoughts when they are falling asleep and throughout their sleep cycle. Dispositional optimism, the belief that positive things will occur in the future, has emerged as a psychological asset of particular importance for disease free survival and superior health.”

Supporting this, researchers at the Medical University of Vienna found that optimism and sleep quality are deeply connected. Dr Jakob Weitzer reported:

“The most optimistic participants in our survey had a seventy percent lower prevalence of insomnia compared to the least optimistic participants. Training optimism or related personal traits might be a promising tool to prevent insomnia and other sleep problems. Further, optimism training could be combined with established treatment approaches to strengthen treatment effects.”

Adding to this growing body of evidence, a 2024 study titled Optimism and mental health in college students: the mediating role of sleep quality and stress found that higher optimism is linked to lower stress, anxiety, and depression, and to better sleep quality. The researchers discovered that sleep quality and stress partly explain how optimism protects mental health. They concluded that teaching optimism building strategies can improve sleep, reduce stress, and strengthen wellbeing in students and in the wider community.

Together, these studies affirm that optimism is not only a state of mind but also a foundation for rest, renewal, and resilience.