If you go to bed two hours later than usual but get up at your usual time, you will not only become more impulsive and more prone to mistakes — you will also blunt the sharpness of pleasant feelings the next day.
Various organisations concerned with sleep recommend that teenagers sleep 8-10 hours a night, and adults up to the age of 70 between 7 and 9 hours. Almost a third of adults, however, report sleeping less than 6 hours a night.
Studies carried out both in laboratories and in conditions where people slept at home have shown that cutting down on hours of sleep leaves participants feeling worse the next day. No, it did not lead to low mood or depression; rather, the subjects reported feeling fewer positive emotions.
“They felt less joy, less enthusiasm, less attention to themselves and less satisfaction,” — says Ingvild Saksvik-Lehouillier, professor of psychology at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, where one of the studies was carried out.
One thing can be said for certain: going to bed late impairs people's ability to cope with stress and with negative life events, both at school and at work.
At the same time, psychologists know that fewer positive emotions have a considerable effect on overall mental health, and that “poor” sleep (insomnia, frequent waking, going to bed late) affects practically every mental health diagnosis.
When you sleep less than usual, your behaviour becomes more impulsive and you become more prone to mistakes in standard tests.
The study was published in the journal Sleep.
Judging by the research and the publications on the subject, no clear differences emerge when it comes to negative emotions, but for positive ones they become more noticeable.
“Positive feelings deteriorated after just one night of shortened sleep and dropped further still after three nights,” notes Professor Ingvild Saksvik-Lehouillier
Summary:
The findings confirm that cutting sleep, even by 1-2 hours over several nights, has negative consequences. What is more, even a small sleep deficit leads to serious consequences for everyday activity and quality of life. Social interaction, work performance and safety all suffer, especially during the first few hours after waking.
It should be noted that earlier studies have shown that women may be more vulnerable to the effects of sleep deprivation and experience more problems than men.
Take care and stay healthy! Your expert in getting rid of any stress and any pain, Mikhail Borisovich!
PS One safe way of restoring sleep, of making it deeper and fuller, is the practice of qigong.
