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?
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Beacuse sleep is complex and loosely understood.
We know that when we sleep a shuffling of memories happen, and depending on what memories they are different hormones are associated with them.
Did you have a good day but have a single bad thing happen? Perhaps that’s enough to trigger adrenaline rush during the shuffle.
We’ve found that when there is memory shuffling happening, that if the good (or neutral) experiences are more common then the negative ones those hormones aren’t as likely to be released.
For a more complex read on this mechanism, please read here: [PTSD victims when playing Tetris as a preventive measure were less likely to suffer trauma](https://www.psych.ox.ac.uk/news/tetris-used-to-prevent-post-traumatic-stress-symptoms)
Beacuse sleep is complex and loosely understood.
We know that when we sleep a shuffling of memories happen, and depending on what memories they are different hormones are associated with them.
Did you have a good day but have a single bad thing happen? Perhaps that’s enough to trigger adrenaline rush during the shuffle.
We’ve found that when there is memory shuffling happening, that if the good (or neutral) experiences are more common then the negative ones those hormones aren’t as likely to be released.
For a more complex read on this mechanism, please read here: [PTSD victims when playing Tetris as a preventive measure were less likely to suffer trauma](https://www.psych.ox.ac.uk/news/tetris-used-to-prevent-post-traumatic-stress-symptoms)
When I went to university. I quickly learned how to nap properly. It involves knowing your sleep cycle and never waking up while in REM.
Nap for 20 to 40 minutes and never an hour. If more than 40 minutes, aim for 90 minutes to 2 hours. Sometimes, you may want to drink coffee before your nap to wake up with the caffeine already in your system.
I suggest googling “Boston globe nap” for the 20-year-old article which is nothing but an image: http://archive.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/naps/
When I went to university. I quickly learned how to nap properly. It involves knowing your sleep cycle and never waking up while in REM.
Nap for 20 to 40 minutes and never an hour. If more than 40 minutes, aim for 90 minutes to 2 hours. Sometimes, you may want to drink coffee before your nap to wake up with the caffeine already in your system.
I suggest googling “Boston globe nap” for the 20-year-old article which is nothing but an image: http://archive.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/naps/
Tangentially related, why do I wake up every morning in a really bad mood?
Tangentially related, why do I wake up every morning in a really bad mood?
Think of your brain as a warehouse of memories.
The day crew stuffs new memory deliveries wherever they fit and pulls out any as necessary. When you sleep, the night crew helps clean and sort all the deliveries to their proper place.
When you nap, you swap to the night crew but can abruptly tell them to go home when you wake up. All the pallets of memories in transit could just be dumped in place, leaving you disoriented and sometimes feeling strong emotions of any of the pallets were carrying emotional memories.
I generally get these disorienting naps more often when I am stressed and the nap has to deal with moving all those emotional memories around.
Think of your brain as a warehouse of memories.
The day crew stuffs new memory deliveries wherever they fit and pulls out any as necessary. When you sleep, the night crew helps clean and sort all the deliveries to their proper place.
When you nap, you swap to the night crew but can abruptly tell them to go home when you wake up. All the pallets of memories in transit could just be dumped in place, leaving you disoriented and sometimes feeling strong emotions of any of the pallets were carrying emotional memories.
I generally get these disorienting naps more often when I am stressed and the nap has to deal with moving all those emotional memories around.
I asked a doctor this once, a long time ago, and hopefully can mash together enough of their explanation to give you a vague start. When we sleep our brains are still very busy. Our chemistry changes too. There are different kinds of sleep, and different phases. Beyond that, things like dreams (which happen during a certain phase) can stimulate chemistry on their own (terrifying dream = cortisol or adrenaline in our bodies).
So, the answer is complex. Depends on what phases of sleep you had, what dreams you had, your specific cocktail of neurochemistry before, during, and after.
I asked a doctor this once, a long time ago, and hopefully can mash together enough of their explanation to give you a vague start. When we sleep our brains are still very busy. Our chemistry changes too. There are different kinds of sleep, and different phases. Beyond that, things like dreams (which happen during a certain phase) can stimulate chemistry on their own (terrifying dream = cortisol or adrenaline in our bodies).
So, the answer is complex. Depends on what phases of sleep you had, what dreams you had, your specific cocktail of neurochemistry before, during, and after.
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