When we were young, we would have been coached by our parents to have a little more sleep if we were a little more moody. As adults, we forget that a lack of sleep is the reason why we’re struggling as we just think it is our new norm. The reason for emotional reactivity from a lack of sleep is because of a very intricate dance between the amygdala and the prefrontal cortex in your brain. They are very closely coupled and when there is a lack of sleep, the push-pull relationship between the two doesn’t quite work as well.
This push-pull relationship explained:
The amygdala is the fight-or-flight response or the push mechanism in our brain. The prefrontal cortex is responsible for executive functioning, decision making, logical reasoning, etc. That is the pull mechanism or the brakes.
When we’ve had enough sleep, that relationship works well. We can make decisions even when we are activating the fight-or-flight response, and we can manage and calm down our emotional reactivity.
When we have not got enough sleep, that ability or mechanism is the first thing to not work so well.
When you are lacking sleep and feeling overly emotional, your ability to reign yourself in and have self-control goes out of the window. Like when there is a knock at the door and you need to turn the water off in the sink and manage a crying baby, you have no idea which one to deal with first. Your brain cannot decipher which is the most important priority.
That is why the relationship between the amygdala and the prefrontal cortex needs to be protected by having a full night of sleep. When you see someone that is emotionally reactive or overly emotional, it is likely in part, a result of a lack of sleep.
When you do get enough sleep, your ability to feel overly emotional and worked up can be calmed by your rational brain. You’re able to recognise that it’s probably not that of a big deal or that you can deal with it and be okay.
