We all know someone who turns into an irritable and snarky creature when they haven’t had enough sleep. Maybe you are that person. Sleep is essential for our health and ensuring our bodies function at their best. It also helps us being fresh and focused and affects all of our relationships. And we don’t mean only your romantic relationships.
These are the ways a good night’s sleep make us better people.
Sleep helps us avoid loneliness
We know that loneliness can lead to poor sleep, but did you know the opposite is also true?
Research has shown that people who had a bad night’s sleep want more space between themselves and strangers. This is because brain circuits associated with social repulsion react more strongly, while the firing or circuits that help us determine the intention of someone, are diminished. People who lack sleep are more socially avoidant and maintain greater social distances. As a result, the participants who slept less, reported feeling lonelier.
Sleep helps us empathise
Having emotional empathy means we can feel what another person is feeling. If a friend feels sad, the sadness resonates with you on some level and you want to try to make her feel happier.
Again, poor sleep negatively affects the parts of our brain devoted to emotional empathy.
Another research study showed that people who reported good sleep were significantly more empathic toward people in distress, even if they didn’t know those people. In a romantic relationship, this means a good night’s sleep will allow you to more accurately read your partner’s emotions and empathise better.
Sleep helps us be calm
A lack of sleep can take your irritability to the next level of aggressive and angrier behaviour.
Research participants who were split between maintaining or restricting their sleep over two days, were given difficult tasks to execute while in a noisy environment, bound to make them irritated. Those with less sleep became much angrier during the task and remained disturbed by the noise. Less sleep can also aggravate risk factors for aggression. Your anger may be completely out of control, you tend to brood over upsetting events or you might become hypervigilant of danger.
Sleeping better helps us have more self-control so we don’t lash out at others.
Sleep helps us be less prejudiced
This seems incredible, but a lack of sleep affects the mental processes involved in interacting with people who are different from us.
The previous points come into play. When you’re well-rested you are more willing to approach people, be empathetic and feel less prone to anger. These factors have all been tied to less discrimination in various studies. In addition, we’re less likely to feel rejected when we sleep better.
Be the best you
Everyone could benefit from being better rested and having well-rested people in their lives. Sealy knows that you can’t feel your best if you don’t sleep your best. Find out more about our commitment to sleep and discover your new bed today.
