Poor sleep may make you more prone to believing conspiracy theories

Sleep, or a lack thereof, has been shown to have a significant effect on our mental and physical health. And scientists have found poor sleep can have larger societal impacts, namely increasing the likelihood of falling victim to conspiracies.

Sleep and slide

Poor sleep quality could make people more likely to support conspiracy theories, according to new research published in the Journal of Health Psychology. Specifically, "poor sleep has been shown to increase the risk of depression, anxiety and paranoia — factors that also contribute to conspiracy beliefs," Daniel Jolley, the study's research lead and a University of Nottingham assistant professor of social psychology, said in a news release.

The researchers conducted two studies. The first had 540 participants complete a sleep quality assessment before reading one of two articles about the 2019 Notre Dame Cathedral fire in Paris. "While some volunteers received a verified rundown of the devastating accident, others reviewed a story that falsely stated the blaze involved a cover-up conspiracy," said Popular Science. "Researchers noted those who previously cited worse sleep quality entertained the Notre Dame Cathedral conspiracy more often than their well-rested counterparts."

The second phase analyzed another 575 people to find an explanation for the link between poor sleep quality and conspiracy beliefs. The results found that depression was the main mechanism for believing in conspiracy theories. "Anger and paranoia also played a role, but their effects were less consistent," said the release.

Sleepless in society

While the study links poor sleep and affinity for conspiracy theories, this does not indicate causation. "Chronic stress or anxiety could contribute to both poor sleep and a heightened susceptibility to conspiratorial thinking," Jolley and Iwan Dinnick, a research fellow at the University of Nottingham and one of the study authors, said in The Conversation. "Improving mental health may be as important as better sleep." Despite that, conspiracy theories can be more harmful than expected.

Conspiracy theories have become more prevalent recently and have made their way into mainstream ways of thinking. "Buying into conspiracies doesn't just result in a newfound affinity for tin foil hats — subscribing to these beliefs can have much wider societal effects," said Popular Science. For example, "distrust of data-backed vaccine efficacy lowers a society's overall resilience against infectious diseases," and "misinformation surrounding climate change has for decades hampered ongoing efforts to combat its risks to humanity and our planet."

Societal implication aside, sleep is important for health. "Sleep services all aspects of our body in one way or another: molecular, energy balance, as well as intellectual function, alertness and mood," said Dr. Merrill Mitler, a sleep expert and neuroscientist at the National Institutes of Health. Lack of sleep can impair problem-solving skills and attention to detail, as well as lead to depression. Physically, those with poor sleep are at higher risk for obesity, heart disease and infections. "When we look at well-rested people, they're operating at a different level than people trying to get by on one or two hours less nightly sleep."