Eli5: why do we sometimes wake up in a really bad mood after a mid-afternoon nap?

Question

This is something that happens to me from time to time since I was a kid.

I would take a nap after lunch, on a day like today. Then sometimes wake up feeling disoriented and depressed. Other times I’d feel fine.

What causes this specifically and why does it only happen sometimes?

In: 183

Answer 1

My 5 y/o does this. If she doen’t have school (weekends or school breaks) she goes for a 2 hour nap later in the afternoon and about 80% of the time, she wakes up in an extremely bad mood.