2 MIN READ
MAY 2026
Why sleep matters for mental health
Sleep does more than help you feel rested. When you don’t get enough — 7–9 hours for adults and even more for kids and teens1 — your mental health can take a hit.
Looking for more? Find other articles below
Benefits of good sleep
Sleep shapes how you think, feel and handle stress.
- Think more clearly
- Focus better
- Remember more easily
- Feel calmer
- Manage emotions better
- Be more positive
- Feel less stressed
- Bounce back faster
- Have energy to cope
Sleep and feel better
Your Costco benefits offer tools to help you deal with stress and build healthy sleep habits. Get no-cost digital sleep support with Sleepio to help you clear your mind and get better sleep.
I was doubting whether Sleepio would work, but here we are 6 weeks later … and my sleep patterns have improved so much.
Telemynd offers virtual therapy and psychiatry to help you work through what’s keeping you awake at night. It’s available to mainland employees enrolled in the Aetna medical plan.
2 factors that affect sleep and mental health
Sleep apnea
Ongoing poor sleep could be a sign of sleep apnea. Loud snoring and sudden wake-ups with gasping or choking may be clues. Over time, untreated sleep apnea can affect mood and increase anxiety — but treatment can help.
If you think you might have sleep apnea, take the GEM Sleep 30-second sleep quiz. From the comfort of home, you can take a sleep test, plus get a diagnosis and treatment for sleep apnea.
Alcohol
Alcohol may help you fall asleep at first. But it often leads to lighter, more restless sleep — and feeling less refreshed in the morning. It can also increase your risk of sleep apnea by up to 25%.2
If you’re looking to drink less or quit, Pelago can help. Get free and confidential support from a licensed coach or counselor, available 24/7. Download the app to get started.
Sources:
1Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About sleep
2Sleep Medicine. Alcohol and the risk of sleep apnoea: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Resources for you
Sleepio is a no-cost online sleep improvement program clinically proven to help you clear your mind, get better sleep and have better days in just 6 weeks.
Sleepio.com/Costco | App | Ages 18+ | No cost
GEM Sleep makes it easy to get a sleep apnea diagnosis and treatment from the comfort of your own home. Aetna medical plan benefits apply, which may include copays, deductible and coinsurance.
mygemsleep.com/costco | Ages 18+ | Aetna medical benefits apply
Sleepio is a no-cost online sleep improvement program clinically proven to help you clear your mind, get better sleep and have better days in just 6 weeks.
Sleepio.com/Costco | App | Ages 18+ | No cost
Sleepio is a no-cost online sleep improvement program clinically proven to help you clear your mind, get better sleep and have better days in just 6 weeks.
Sleepio.com/Costco | App | Ages 18+ | No cost