That Stranger in the Mirror? It Could Be You on Poor Sleep.
- Janice Cunningham
- Mar 25, 2024
- 2 min read
Updated: Nov 21
Think a little self-regulation and good intentions are enough to walk with grace? Think again. Poor sleep literally rewires your brain, turning you into a different person overnight.
The Hidden Truth About Sleep Deprivation
You go to bed as yourself and wake up as someone else. Not metaphorically - literally.
Poor sleep hijacks your brain, overriding your best intentions and undermining the other lifestyle goal you aspire to. It's all biological - chemicals and hormones - but feels personal!
Here's what really happens when you skimp on sleep:
The Cookie Monster Takes Over
When Sleep Deprivation Hijacks Your Hunger Hormones
What You Think Is Happening
"I just need more willpower around food."
What's Actually Happening
Ghrelin (hunger hormone) SPIKES → Your brain signals "need more food!" even when full
Leptin (fullness hormone) CRASHES → Your brain doesn't receive the usual signals to "stop eating" when full
Prefrontal cortex weakens → Your rational brain gets taken offline by your older more emotionally driven, reactive amygdala.
The Result
You become like Cookie Monster, craving sugar and comfort foods while your logical brain sits helplessly on the sidelines.
The Threat Detection Malfunction
Why Sleep Deprivation Makes the World Feel Less Safe
You Believe Your Perceptions - But Are They Accurate?
After just one bad night of sleep, you lose the ability to accurately distinguish between friendly and threatening facial expressions.
Matt Walker's research revealed that people who could accurately read social cues after good sleep became significantly less accurate after poor sleep. Neutral faces started to appear hostile.
👁️The Result
Your brain defaults to a "fear bias," seeing potential threats when none exist; the world feels less safe. This isn't personality - it's sleep deprivation affecting perception.
Emotion Processing Breakdown
When Your Nightly Therapy Session Gets Cancelled
What REM Sleep Does:
Acts as free therapy, processing difficult emotions
Shuts off stress chemicals (like noradrenaline) so you can safely work through difficult experiences
Creates healthy emotional distance from upsetting events
What Happens Without It:
Stronger emotional reactions to minor irritations (irritability, mood swings)
Difficulty bouncing back from setbacks
Increased vulnerability to depression and anxiety
Everything feels more overwhelming
The Result
You're operating with an overloaded emotional system that hasn't had time to reset and recalibrate.
The Domino Effect
We like to think we can power through on 5-6 hours of sleep and still:
Eat healthy
Exercise regularly
Stay positive
Maintain relationships
Make good decisions
Think again.
Poor sleep doesn't just make us tired - it systematically undermines other lifestyle habits we aspire to.
The Good News: Good Sleep Restores Balance
Your rational brain regains control.
Food cravings normalize.
Emotional regulation improves.
Social perception is more in tune with reality.
Everything feels more doable and manageable.
The Bottom Line
Sleep isn't a luxury - it's foundational. Yes, our eating and exercise habits are also foundational, but they're hard to maintain or change when sabotaged by our sleep deprived alter ego!
Want to Explore More?
Do you have an alter ego you'd like to go away? Check out our Sleep Playbook for more resources.
Sweet dreams,
Janice
Comments