Your lack of sleep plays a huge role in just how angry you feel today

You all know just how essential sleep is right? We, for one, cannot preach enough about the importance of getting a good night’s sleep. On an average you should sleep seven to nine hours every day to ensure your body functions properly. 

When you are sleeping, you are giving time to your body to rest and rejuvenate itself. This further prepares you for the next day. But when you are deprived of sleep, you get cranky and paranoid.

If you think that poor night’s sleep can only give you bags under your eyes, then you are wrong. Not getting enough sleep can also leave your mind and body tired, thus making carrying on with daily tasks difficult and frustrating. This can also lead to major anger issues. Yes, lack of sleep can make you less patient, making you more prone to anger.

There’s a link between lack of sleep and anger and science proves it
Lack of sleep can lead to a loss of emotional control and can also increase the negative emotions such as fatigue, anxiety, depression, anger and irritability. It can also make you more sensitive and can trigger you to respond aggressively. 

An area of the brain—amygdala is responsible for the ‘fight or flight’ response. And when you are sleep deprived it gets triggered easily and can kick in the ‘fight’ response. A study published in the Journal of Research in Personality provided the first evidence that anger is related to sleep deprivation. 

In a 2018 research from Iowa State University and published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology showed that losing a few hours of sleep at night can make you angrier and less competent to cope with frustrating situations.

Another study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health also found that poor quantity and quality of sleep can increase overall aggression.

Also, read: Can’t sleep? Try these 5 relaxing tips to sleep like a baby tonight

How can you deal with the anger when you are sleep-deprived?
The very first thing you can do is to ensure that you are well rested. Next, knowing what scenarios can make you angry can help you control yourself. A few other things that you can do are:

1. Avoid things and people that can frustrate you
Try avoiding any confrontation that can frustrate you further. Also, avoid any task that tests your patience.

2. You can turn to caffeine for some help
If there’s a task that needs to be done, then have a cup of coffee. The caffeine in it fights sleepiness and can improve your brain alertness making you a little calm. But avoid caffeine later in the day as this can further mess with your sleep cycle.

3. Take a nap if you can
Even a mere 20 minutes nap during the day can energize your brain and body.