You Know SLEEP is Important…but Do You Know About Interoception?

Mar 31

A recent study by the NIH explored how sleep deprivation impacts the brain's emotional responses. Researchers found that after just one night of poor sleep, the brain's emotional centers became 60% more reactive to negative stimuli.

Essentially, sleep deprivation amplifies impulsive emotional reactions while weakening the brain's ability to manage them effectively. It's why I'm 94% more nasty to the people I love when I'm tired….and why I find myself eating an entire box of crackers if I'm behind on sleep.

It's a fascinating reminder of how crucial sleep is for maintaining emotional balance, healthy relationships, and a healthy waistline.

BUT, here's a twist, DIFFERENT PEOPLE FEEL "TIREDNESS" DIFFERENTLY.

Interoception is like your body's "inner GPS" for tracking how you feel physically. It’s your ability to sense things like hunger, thirst, warmth, tiredness, or even emotions that manifest in your body (like butterflies in your stomach when you’re nervous). Think of it as your brain checking in with your body to understand what’s happening inside.

Some people's “inner GPS” is better than others. And also, EVERYTHING IS RELATIVE. As a kid, I was asked if I worried a lot or was anxious after having intestinal issues land me in the ER a few times. I quite confidently reported, “Nooo.” It wasn't until I was out of a particularly stressful home environment (all I had ever known) that I could see and FEEL the contrast. “Wow. I really WAS very stressed and anxious.”

What is “anxiousness” if it's our normal?

I've heard, “I'M NOT TIRED!!” from one of my kids on a bad day more than I can count, AND then watched said kid sleep for 15 hours straight and wake up a completely different person.

Interoception…it's a fascinating thing.

If you have trouble PRIORITIZING YOUR SLEEP and just can't seem to do it on a consistent basis, you might need help interpreting your “inner GPS”.

Not quite convinced? Last year, I listened to this podcast with a WHOOP data scientist who has access to health data from hundreds of thousands of people, and my mind was blown 🤯 and I've been motivated to improve my sleep and overall well-being ever since.

What's a WHOOP? To get more in tune with what our bodies are needing, people are using devices like an Oura ring or a Whoop band to track sleep, recovery, stress levels, heart rate variability (an important metric of wellness), respiratory rates, and more.

But if you have an Apple Watch, I'm using a really robust app called Athlytic (not an ad) to turn my Apple Watch into a health metric machine that gives me more detailed sleep data, a recovery score that lets me know how much to exert myself today, and even makes suggestions on what time I should go to bed, down to the minute, based on all those things. The goal is for that little recovery circle to be GREEN…not yellow or red. This app is constantly improving, has a great rating, and was created and is run by a husband and wife team :) I've been recommending it quite a bit in sessions.

There's a free trial and it's $29.99 per year for up to 5 members of your family :) Seriously….I'm getting no kickback from this; I just like it a lot.

WEIRD THINGS I DO TO GET BETTER SLEEP:

Magnesium Glycinate before bed: Most of us are deficient in this mineral, and it's a powerhouse for great sleep. It increases neurotransmitters like GABA, which calms the nervous system and prepares the body for sleep, reduces muscle tension, supports melatonin production, and increases deep sleep.
I have a goal of waking up without an alarm: This one really gets people. When an alarm wakes you up, it means your sleep duration was cut short, and you didn't get the sleep your body needed. I try to go to bed at a time that would give me PLENTY of time to get a good night's rest and wake up well before my alarm.
Athlytic App: See description above and just charge your Apple Watch while you're showering or before bed instead of overnight so that you can get more robust sleep data.
Limit Alcohol: With any of the health metric app/device combos mentioned above, you'll watch your recovery score plummet and SEE how your body struggles on just a couple of drinks. Sad, but true :(

WEIRD THINGS I DO TO HAVE MY LACK OF SLEEP IMPACTING MY RELATIONSHIPS LESS:

Communicate About It: Years ago, when I was breastfeeding babies, I developed a scale of tiredness. I realized that when I said, “I'm so tired,” my husband really didn't know what that meant. Does it mean I need a 30-minute power nap or does it mean I have a 12-hour sleep debt and feel like I can barely function? I realized he had likely never experienced sleep deprivation like this in his life - night after night of broken and not enough sleep.

My scale was 0-10, 10 being the most tired I could possibly be, and I defined ranges with associated feelings and needs; like 0-3 meant I might be a little grumpy, need some breaks, and likely to go to bed early, while 7-10 was an all-hands-on-deck, might-need-to-call-in-a-relative situation. Also, if he wanted to live, saying, “I'm so tired, TOO,” in response to anything over a 3 might not allow him to see another day.

Clearly, I was joking about that last part. But as you can see, communication was CLEAR. RIDICULOUSLY CLEAR.

I've found that the apps mentioned above do this for you! I can now just show him a red recovery score of 17%, and he's like, “WHOA.”

Generally Communicate and Interact About ANYTHING ELSE Less: My brain gets particularly toasty when tired, and I try to give myself the space I need so I'm not acting out on the people I love the most. I choose more solitary activities and chores, and will largely distance myself until I can be a nicer human. With kids, I'll choose more parallel activities like snuggling in and watching a movie or show together.

Join me in bed at 10 PM tonight? Not the same bed….you know what I mean.

Because you deserve happy relationships,