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

392 views

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

34 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

I also believe mood on wake-up has to do with dreams you might have been having during sleep. Very good answers here. I’ve noticed that when I remember my last dream vividly, and always fairly pleasant, I wake in a better mood. When I wake up, and I remember buts and pieces, but can’t remember finer details, I am more anxious and irritable. I wonder if my brain is blocking the bad dreams but my subconscious knows what it saw and didn’t like it at all.

You are viewing 1 out of 34 answers, click here to view all answers.