When I don’t get much sleep, I feel pretty bad the next day - no surprise there. However, I’ve noticed that I don’t feel lousy right off, it takes an hour or so before I really feel it.
So two questions.
When I miss sleep, what exactly is it that I’m lacking that makes me feel so bad?
I assume the condition is true from the moment I rise, but the horrible sensation doesn’t kick in untill later. Why?
Good question, and I wish I knew. For me, the effects of a long night kick in on the second morning after. Getting up after the long night and just a couple of hours of sleep is easy. Getting up on the morning of the day after that (with a full night’s sleep) is a killer.
Not a professional opinion, but I know that during sleep, all kinds of restorative things happen, such as hormone secretions. Maybe when you first wake up you get a jolt of adrenaline that gets you going, but that’s not sustainable through the day. Then you crash off the adrenaline rush.
The really interesting effects of sleep deprivation occur after several consecutive nights of inadequate or interrupted sleep. I have had much firsthand experience with this, having two children.