Myth buster: Does Improper Sleep make us feel more Exasperated than usual?

Who among us doesn’t demand a good and quality sleep? And even if we get a quality sleep, we still remain unsatisfied with it.

On an average, 50 among 100 Indians are devoid of good sleep and are often seen complaining about it. But is the complaining necessary? Or are we sleeping the right way?

There are no such thing as integral points for a good and quality sleep. It all depends on how we think and interact with our thoughts for, during and after our sleep.

The most sleep-devoid country in the entire world is United Kingdom.

 UK people receive only six hours and 19 minutes of sleep each night on average, far less than the eight hours suggested by the National Sleep Foundation.

Anyways, let’s focus at the matter in hands, which is regarding the dogmas of Indian sleeping habits and opinions.

So, you’re undoubtedly familiar with the fatigue and lack of energy that results after a bad night’s sleep. If this is the case, you may have observed that a terrible night’s sleep might cause your patience to fray.

We’ll examine more closely at the connection between irritability and exhaustion, wondering what it is about a terrible night’s sleep that makes us so prone to rage.

Does lack of sleep makes us angrier than usual?

Sleep specialists believe that the link between sleep deprivation and increased impatience stems from the portion of our brains that deals with instinctual and primitive emotions.

This is referred to as the limbic system.

The limbic system contains two tiny regions known together as the amygdala.

The amygdala is the part of the brain that controls our emotional ‘fight or flight’ response.

When we feel threatened, this reaction kicks in, but without reasoning from elsewhere, the amygdala has no clue whether it is dealing with a serious threat or a mere annoyance.

In a nutshell, all this doesn’t matter if we sleep less or more, if we don’t allow Amygdala hijack in our brains.

Studies reveal that when we don’t get enough sleep, our brain activity alters

This idea is supported by research that investigates changes in brain activity following a period of poor sleep. One research published in Current Biology looked at the effects of sleep deprivation on the human emotional brain.

The study discovered that those who were exposed to negative images saw an increase in amygdala activity after just one night of disrupted sleep. On a brain scan, the region lighted up, and these people had 60% higher activity in the amygdala than those who just had a full night’s sleep.

This same study found that a good night’s sleep is required to allow the pre-frontal cortex to have a voice in your decision-making (i.e., the rational area of the brain).

Another research focused on participants’ reactions to unpleasant situations. Iowa State University conducted a study in 2018 that employed white noise to create an unpleasant environment.

They then examined how people who were sleep deprived and those who were well-rested reacted to the settings.

According to the findings, even missing a couple of hours of sleep at night might make you angry and less able to deal with stressful situations.

Participants whose sleep was limited displayed substantially higher levels of rage.

Again, with all this data, we can’t conclude sleep is directly proportional to elevated anger issues.

A good and quality sleep results in better productivity, but that doesn’t mean that we sleep for 8-9 hours a day and show 200% productivity on the next day.

So, there’s your myth busted again!

Takeaway: A quiet environment promotes a better night’s sleep.

Anger and a lack of sleep can create a vicious cycle. Sleep deprivation makes you more irritable and agitated, and stress may lead to even more sleep deprivation, raising your anger levels.

It is essential to establish a peaceful environment in your bedroom in order to offer yourself the greatest chance of a good night’s sleep. You should sleep in a cool, dark place. 

Avoid bringing screens into the bedroom, including your smartphone, and instead opt for reading or meditation before going to bed. This will allow your body to relax before falling asleep.