Is Writing Good For Your Health?

I am writing this at five o’clock in the morning because I cannot sleep from thinking about it.

At present, my current book takes up most of the space. A paragraph needs changing, two sections may repeat each other, or something I thought finished returns with another problem. Previous publications bring their own questions, usually about what I might have done differently. Future projects then join in, even though they have no immediate claim on my attention.

I can walk away from my laptop, but my mind cannot.

This continues while I eat, go for walks, and do many other unrelated things. At night, when little else interrupts it, things get worse; I wake up each morning exhausted. Being mentally knackered all the time has started to feel normal.

Writing is supposed to be good for me. It gives purpose to my days and requires concentration, memory, imagination and continued learning. These are valuable in later life.

The trouble is that the brain cannot rest.

The NHS description of stress includes feeling overwhelmed, constantly worrying, losing concentration and sleeping too much or too little.[1] Writing may be the subject occupying my thoughts, but the resulting exhaustion is much the same.

Perhaps the simplest diagnosis is that writing has escaped its working hours. It has moved into the time needed for recovery.

Poor sleep affects concentration, memory, mood and judgement. If it continues, it is also associated with depression and physical conditions including high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes. Among older people, sleep deficiency may increase the risk of falls and injury.[2] This does not mean that a book causes heart disease, although it does mean that repeatedly losing sleep over one should not be dismissed as harmless dedication.

Some boundaries are clearly needed. At the end of each writing session, I could record where I have stopped, what needs doing next and any problem still unresolved. I could write down an idea that arrives later without examining it immediately.

The idea does not have to be resolved at once.

The final hour before bed also needs to be free from manuscripts, reviews, and plans for books that have not yet been written. Time away from writing must involve something that draws my attention elsewhere, perhaps music, conversation, sitting outside or an ordinary practical task. Moving from the manuscript to aimless browsing is unlikely to give the mind much rest.

If the sleeplessness continues for months or begins to make everyday life difficult, a conversation with a doctor may be in order. Writing may be causing the pressure, adding to another problem or merely giving it somewhere to appear.

Countless other authors will empathise with the narcotic nature of writing. It can provide purpose and satisfaction, then ask for another hour and keep going after the work is finished. I doubt I am the only writer awake at five in the morning because a book has taken possession of the mind.

Perhaps we should take that more seriously.

Is this a mental health issue?

References

1. NHS. “Stress.” Last reviewed 6 March 2026.

2. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. “Sleep Deprivation and Deficiency.” National Institutes of Health, updated 24 March 2022.