Sleepless and stressed: Why sleep and anxiety are so closely linked

  Host: Dr Rick Wassing

  Thursday 28 May 2026, 12pm – 1pm 

  330X Function Room, 17 Wally's Walk, Michael Kirby Building, Macquarie University

Overview

Why does anxiety seem to strike hardest when we’re trying to rest? Why does a poor night’s sleep make everything feel so much harder the next day?

Sleep disturbances and anxiety are locked in a detrimental two-way relationship. Heightened emotional reactivity, worry, and rumination can disrupt sleep by keeping the brain’s arousal systems switched on across the night, interfering with the depth, timing, and quality of sleep. In turn, the next-day effects of insufficient or fragmented sleep include maladaptive emotional regulation and increased sensitivity to stress and negative mood. Over time, this feedback loop can trap people in cycles of chronic stress, insomnia, and declining mental health.

In this seminar, Dr Rick Wassing will explore what we now know about the sleep-anxiety connection, drawing on neuroscience, psychology, and clinical research. The talk will unpack how changes in brain activity, arousal systems, and emotional regulation link sleep loss to anxiety, and why improving sleep may be a critical pathway to better mental health. 

Biography

Dr Rick Wassing is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Psychological Sciences at Macquarie University. His research focuses on the neurobiology of sleep, particularly insomnia, and how disturbed sleep contributes to mental health conditions. 

Using brain imaging, sleep physiology, and clinical trials, his work aims to improve understanding of why sleep breaks down, and how restoring sleep can support better mental health.

Contact Us

For more details about the series, contact us at dvc.medicine.and.health@mq.edu.au.