So long story short.
First: I have a habit of having an unstable sleep schedule. This sometimes leads me to have to stay awake for an entire night to “reset” it.
Second: Was super shy as a kid. Super social as a teenager and very socially anxious as a grown up. Never know what to respond to a person. Have trouble holding a conversation. Always in my head. Afraid of approaching strangers. Feel super judged no matter what i say. My jokes often don’t land (and i make a lot of jokes).
BUT whenever i go a night without sleep my social anxiety DISSAPEARS and i become SUPER quick and witty. I respond withing a millisecond, my jokes and witty comments make people laugh. Downside is that im super cranky so my humour tends to lean towards the mean side. It’s still makes the crowd laugh though. I don’t get the same effect with alcohol.
Any theories?
17 comments
I would highly suggest seeking a mental health professional on this.. Time to strip away the stigma of such treatment. They could help you be that way all the time
It’s because you’re too tired to worry. So you just go with your gut instinct and say or do what you feel like doing in that moment.
I am/was this person, the sleep deprived. Studied this a bit in school. Functionally, it’s in the same boat as alcohol- and driving while sleep deprived is technically DUI. The brain is low on ATP, so the decision inhibitors slowly melt away. In other words, it doesn’t have the energy to be “in your head” and you start acting without thinking.
It might feel good to seem more “in tune” with things when you’re sleep deprived, but it’s extremely unhealthy in the long run. Speaking as someone who was chronically undersleeping for 10 years. From experience, I can personally assure you that it’s possible to work through your anxiety and achieve that free flow state without killing your circadian rhythm.
Lol I always felt similar, it’s like my brain needs 12+ hours to boot up and be able to act normal. Too bad I like to sleep so much.
This is an area of interest for social science and psychology. There was a recent study investigating whether lack of sleep leads to relief from depression. Anecdotally I have experienced what you’re describing when sleep deprived, namely the lowered inhibitions. There’s absolutely something to it.
Unfortunately like others are saying, there are many downsides to sleep deprivation.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-sleep-deprivation-eases-depression/#:~:text=Sleep%20deprivation%20is%20a%20quick,until%20the%20patient%20falls%20asleep
It’s like being drunk
When you’re sleep-deprived, your brain increases dopamine to keep you going. That is also why sleep-deprivation provides a short-term support in cases of depression. Shocker, I know https://www.pennmedicine.org/news/news-releases/2017/september/sleep-deprivation-is-an-effective-antidepressant-for-nearly-half-of-depressed-patients
That increased dopamine makes it easier for you to be gregarious. However, alcohol increases GABA which is a downer and calms you down. Maybe try taking Red Bull (which is loaded with caffeine and B vitamins), and see if that makes it easier to socialize for you.
Probably your higher critical thinking faculties are depressed by the tiredness, similar to alcohol. It’s hard to have an overactive, overthinking mind when your brain is in standby.
Interesting question honestly. Has me thinking about the potential benefits of tiredness. I know I tend not to fancy alcohol when I’m tired so maybe they have similar effects on the brain.
Yep that’s how it usually goes.
The more mentally tired you are the less mental energy you have to care about the opinions of others.. so in effect you are caring less because you mentally can’t do it. And so with whatever energy you have you are able to connect with others more freely/ unfiltered. It’s how you normally would be without any encumberments.
Take that into everyday situations..reduce how much energy you are putting into the reactions/opinions of others.. “care less”; therapy will help a lot with this.
I have a technical answer to this if you want to read it.
It’s because when you sleep you get hazy and sedative. I mean yes we need sleep and rest to restore brain functionality and reset sort of.
Basically if you read Michel Foucault’s Madness and Civilisation you will find a lot of answers to what leads to “craziness” or illness in the mind.
And being sedative is one of them.
To say it in a more normal way. If you sleep too much it’s basically the same as you constantly daydream which can lead you to overthink and have anxiety, which leads to more thoughts and being worried.
I’m the same, if I sleep 5-6 hours I’m really energetic and my “anxiety thoughts” disappear and I’m more alert and wake. Almost like if you have adhd without having it. But if I sleep 8-10 hours I’m super hazy and slow lol. Unless ofc I’m really tired and needed the sleep.
It’s a hard balance and I doubt many people actually notice this, so you have to experiment with it yourself.
I’m on the same boat.
I always thought it was the “I don’t give a fuck about anything. I’m tired” mentality. But lack of sleep does diminish your inhibitions so your anxieties are almost nonexistent. Take it as a social lubricant, but with no liquor.
I’ve noticed this in myself too, but only slightly.
I literally noticed the same thing with myself. When sleep deprived, really tired or slightly in pain. It’s like my body constantly uses spare energy to be anxious and when there’s no energy left or it should be used on something more important anxiety is suddenly gone
I just read a study that said when your sleep deprived your brain releases extra Dopamine the next day. This may be why you act and feel differently.
> Any theories?
You don’t have the energy to overthink everything you’re doing and saying.