When You Don't Get Enough Sleep

Sleep is necessary for cellular regeneration, memory consolidation, neurological recovery, and the flushing of toxins through the glymphatic system.

When you don't get enough sleep, your brain has elevated toxins, impairing your judgment and making it difficult to concentrate.

Your brain also struggles to utilise neural pathways efficiently, making recalling memories and information and holding conversations challenging. This is why you feel slow without sleep – your brain isn't wired correctly. 

Most of us also have a temper when we're overtired, making getting through the day without snapping one of the biggest challenges.

This article explores what happens to your brain without adequate sleep, with insights into what the latest science says.

Let's jump in!

Shrinkage in the frontal cortex (this can make it harder to communicate)

While sleep deprivation won't make you a pea brain, studies show that it reduces at least one part of the frontal cortex.

The linked study makes the case that sleep difficulties are connected to a more rapid decline in frontal brain volume. The frontal cortex is responsible for language and higher-level executive functions like planning.

Glymphatic system disruption (this creates a build-up of brain toxins)

When you sleep, the space between blood cells in your brain increases, creating channels for cerebrospinal fluid to wash in and out in waves.

This is called the glymphatic system – a macroscopic waste clearance system that flushes toxins from your brain. It removes toxins like beta-amyloid, which is linked with an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease and memory loss.

It's critical to note that this process only happens while sleeping, and it is the only way your brain can rid itself of toxins that build up during the day.

Neural and brain cell disruption (this makes you slow)

When you don't sleep properly, your brain has limited time to optimise the neural pathways responsible for memory and information consolidation.

Thanks to American researchers, we know that sleep deprivation disrupts brain cell communication and interferes with the neurons' ability to encode information and translate visual input into conscious thought.

Simply put, sleep disruption makes the brain slow. Episodic memory is significantly reduced, and this happens at a cellular level.

Disrupted amygdala and medial prefrontal cortex signaling (this gives you a temper)

If you have a temper when you're sleep deprived, it's because a lack of sleep disrupts the connection between the amygdala and medial prefrontal cortex.

This leads to emotional instability and hot flashes, making you snap and overact to things you would otherwise brush off.

Thanks to science, we know that sleep disruption increases activity in the amygdala (the emotional rapid-response centre of the brain). Sleep disruption forces it into overdrive, which can give you a terrible temper.  

Boosted piriform cortex encoding (this makes you sniff out food)

Sleep deprivation makes you crave high-calorie foods due to a physiological adaptation (increased appetite) to provide the energy needed to sustain wakefulness.

One by-product of this is the piriform cortex being encoded to make foods smell irresistible so that you fuel your body for energy.

While this effect may seem trivial and lead to some great meals, reduced dietary restraint and poor diet choices can cause obesity.

Summing up

Sleep deprivation impacts the brain in multiple ways, but whichever way you cut it, there's nothing to gain from not getting enough sleep.

A lack of sleep shrinks your brain, increases toxins, reduces neural pathway formation, restricts brain cell communication, and makes you angry. The only novel thing it does is rewire the olfactory system to sniff out food.

The bottom line is that sleep is critical to keeping your wits and feeling like yourself. If you want to feel better, getting more sleep is the right way to go about it.

Related pages

• How to sleep better with anxiety
• Why am I tossing and turning at night? Tips to help you sleep.