Because of the hectic work in the office, I wounded up sleeping only three to four hours at night. I was practically a zombie. During those floating days, even the smallest mistake would make me furious, desperate, sad or anxious. I was really in over my head with all of these emotions flooding me.
There is no doubt that our emotions go into haywire because of sleep deprivation. What is the real reason for this? Why do we get so sensitive and punchy if we don’t get enough sleep? The culprit has been on the run for the longest time and finally, in 2007. It has been apprehended.
The tiny, almond-shape piece in the temporal lobe called the amygdala is the one to be blamed because it is the one responsible for processing our emotions. It’s linked to fear responses and anxiety. Therefore, when you encounter something of great distress, it interprets it as such and transmits signals to the rest of the brain and body. It is basically a sleeping monster and goes out to party if you lack the precious hours of sleep.
Your emotional and mental well-being might end up compromised if you have a rogue amygdala going wild for a long, long time. Being an office worker, I just won’t understand why I still kept things in check while that part of my brain was out of the cage and wrecking havoc. I guess it’s simply a relief that a good night’s rest can restore normal emotional balance.
