Like toddlers, adults can also get "overtired."
From: Big Think.com
March 22, 2023 -- KEY
TAKEAWAYS
- "Overtiredness" is often
blamed when infants are unable to fall asleep at night because they are
stuck in an alert, emotional state.
- Adults can become overtired as
well. Fatigue makes it harder for us to regulate emotions and process
thoughts rationally, making it difficult to wind down at night.
- Giving your brain breaks during the
day from our "always-on" existence can help prevent your brain
from becoming overtired.
An “overtired” toddler
is the bane of many parents’ existences. Your child hasn’t slept in a while and
is clearly fatigued. Yet laying in the crib, they are restless and agitated,
unable to gently drift off to dreamland and noisily demand your attention.
When overtired,
toddlers are likely stuck in an emotional state, such as excitement, anxiety,
or fear, wrote Helen
L. Ball, a professor of anthropology and director of the Durham Infancy &
Sleep Centre at Durham University.
“This is a survival
response that helps us to stay awake when in danger, no matter how tired we
are.”
Too emotional to sleep
But the crib tends to be
a cozy, quiet, and safe place, so why is this survival response engaged? It’s
because the longer humans go without sleep, the
harder it is for us to regulate our emotions. A notable 2007 study showed
that the emotion centers of sleep-deprived brains are more reactive to stimuli
compared to rested brains.
“It’s almost as though,
without sleep, the brain had reverted back to more primitive patterns of activity,
in that it was unable to put emotional experiences into context and produce
controlled, appropriate responses,” study author Matthew Walker,
a professor of neuroscience and psychology at the University of
California-Berkeley, and founder and director of the Center for Human Sleep
Science, said of the findings.
An “overtired” toddler
is the bane of many parents’ existences. Your child hasn’t slept in a while and
is clearly fatigued. Yet laying in the crib, they are restless and agitated,
unable to gently drift off to dreamland and noisily demand your attention.
When overtired,
toddlers are likely stuck in an emotional state, such as excitement, anxiety,
or fear, wrote Helen
L. Ball, a professor of anthropology and director of the Durham Infancy &
Sleep Centre at Durham University.
“This is a survival
response that helps us to stay awake when in danger, no matter how tired we
are.”
Too emotional to sleep
But the crib tends to
be a cozy, quiet, and safe place, so why is this survival response engaged?
It’s because the longer humans go without sleep, the
harder it is for us to regulate our emotions. A notable 2007 study showed
that the emotion centers of sleep-deprived brains are more reactive to stimuli
compared to rested brains.
“It’s almost as though,
without sleep, the brain had reverted back to more primitive patterns of
activity, in that it was unable to put emotional experiences into context and
produce controlled, appropriate responses,” study author Matthew Walker,
a professor of neuroscience and psychology at the University of
California-Berkeley, and founder and director of the Center for Human Sleep
Science, said of the findings.
Since infants need more
sleep than adults — anywhere from 12 to 16 hours each day broken into numerous
naps in addition to a longer nighttime bout — it’s easy for them to reach that
overtired state, but adults are susceptible as well. Have you ever laid awake
at night, dwelling on decisions you made earlier that day or planning for the
chores you face tomorrow? You’re more likely to find yourself locked in this
insidious cycle of rumination if you’re overtired.
“Rested brains are good
at ignoring things that happen all the time but have no real consequence,” Matt
Jones, a professor of neuroscience at the University of Bristol, told BBC
Science Focus. But when overtired or experiencing insomnia,
“you’re less able to let go — consciously or unconsciously — of irrelevant
information,” he further explained.
Coincidentally, parents
of young, potentially overtired kids are themselves more at risk of being
overtired themselves. Balancing work and childcare, along with personal
physical hygiene, while hopefully attempting to maintain a semblance of a
social life, can be mentally and physically exhausting. Our incessantly
“on,” hyper-connected
existence can also make us overtired. Work emails at all hours,
rapid-fire news reports, and social
media notifications leave our brains little chance to relax during the
day.
How to avoid being
overtired
Allotting time for
peace and quiet can help. A study published
last fall found that a peaceful one-hour walk in nature free from other
distractions soothes activity in the amygdala, the primary brain area that
processes emotions, including fear and anxiety.
Also helpful is
adopting good
sleep hygiene. After all, poor sleep also
makes us overtired, a brutal feedback loop. If possible, reduce the
distractions you face at least an our before bedtime, particularly from
technological sources. Importantly, this winding down process should not occur
in bed.
“It’s all about
managing what’s called ‘stimulus control,’ Dr. Alex Scott, a lecturer in
psychology at Keele University told BBC
Science Focus. “This basically means it’s a good idea not to associate your bed
with too much worrying — that can lead to more sleep problems.”
The rumination that
occasionally creates a sleepless night is often a product of your actions
earlier in the day. Preventing your brain from getting overtired will make it
easier to find peaceful repose at night.
Yes, you can be too tired
to sleep - Big Think
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