Decreased sleep = Increased social functioning?

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I've noticed that when I get between 2-3 hours of sleep as compared to five or more, almost all of my symptoms are dulled. It becomes easier to function, and I actually feel like I make progress and emotional connection during conversations. The only bad thing is being in a semi-fog like state.

My mind stops racing and I feel no anxiety whatsoever. I can stare into peoples eyes as long as I want without feeling a crazy nervous feeling to look away. Also, I normally have a hard time blocking out other stimuli and staying in the moment of a conversation, especially when noise is occurring around me. When I get less sleep, it's easy to focus in on what someone is saying and I feel much more comfortable.

I don't get paranoid (skeptical may be a better word) or racing thoughts while someone is talking and I become a better listener, and I feel like I actually have the time to think up a good response in order to continue a conversation. Also I don't feel hurried to say something.

I even find myself saying hello to random people more often when I run off only a couple hours of sleep.

Also, I'm too sleepy to really care if I say/do something dumb and I can usually laugh it off or ignore it without anyone really taking notice.

Overall, I don't feel forced to talk or say something witty, and find myself going with the flow of conversation more.

I realize it may not be the healthiest option, but I find this strangely effective. Maybe it's because the lack of sleep dulls down parts of my brain that are overactive, but I can't be sure of anything. All I know is besides being sleepy, I kind of like myself more this way..as weird as it sounds.

That's interesting - If i have less sleep I have less desire to be social or function socially, however that is also true if I get too much sleep.
On a somewhat related note, I do function better socially under the influence of caffeine, as well.

I think I know what you mean. Being tired can usually make me just get on with the day without thinking too much. But I hate feeling tired and can be a bit grumpy. A good long sleep makes my mind more active the next day and so perhaps my brain is surging ahead processing everything it can and so my traits seem more pronounced.

This happens to me too, in that exact way. I didn't get any sleep last night and feel super. (Well, sort of.) Thank you for posting this.

You should tell us more personal experiences. I think this has merit for further investigation.

For me, being tired means I'm grumpy and less likely to want to speak at all. Perhaps that's because translating thoughts to speech is a big undertaking for me. On the other hand, if what you're experiencing instead of that is anxiety, being tired could make you less likely to be able to bother with being anxious. For me, though, anxiety isn't my problem.

A lack of sleep does tend to make me "drunk" in a way, and like alcohol, it can be a help or a hindrance socially.

When I was in college I found that there was a sort of anxiety-relieving 'drunkness' that would come from sleep deprivation, or a lot of hard physical labor. It was like I'd feel too physically drained to feel anxious. Maybe endorphins were also involved.

I've read that sleep deprivation tends to relieve depression in some people (people w/bipolar can even have a manic episode triggered that way), which I personally found to be true. The downside, besides the cognitive effects of sleep deprivation, was that the effect would disappear after one normal night of sleep, or even a 10 minute nap during the day, though. So, in the end it was unsustainable.

the downside is that (if you do this too often) you probably lose a decade or so in which to be social.

If I get more than about five hours I can function but I am exhausted. If I get 6-7 I can function much better.

If I get less than about five hours, I won't even attempt to deal with other people in any way.

I won't talk to people, and I won't even remember to attempt to acknowledge them.

I know that when I lose sleep, I am unable to care as much about my surroundings. So, I suppose it might decrease social anxiety; but it would also increase the tendency to do things before thinking first.

It's probably a lot like getting drunk--your social anxiety goes down, but you're still as horrible at socializing as you always are.

I feel less anxiety in that state too, due to the foggy feeling, like being intoxicated. I don't lose all anxiety or seem to be affected as much as yourself though. I was once on an anti-depressant that made me constantly sleepy (I was working & keeping weird hours so not sleeping much) & this seemed to be the only benefit.

Conversely though if my insomnia is in full effect for a long period of time, like recently I barely had any rest in a week, I am more on edge.

I really wouldn't recommend depriving yourself of sleep. My coping skills go way down when that happens. At one point, I just crossed a road without thinking, without looking first. It was only luck that stopped me from getting hit by a car.

Less sleep makes it even harder to pull myself out of my head. Not a bonus for social functioning. It also means that I stop caring about bothering with socialising or trying not to be rude.


It also makes me more prone to meltdowns.

I often deprive myself of sleep, and I also don't talk to people much. When I do both at the same time I find it hard to take in what they're saying, and hard to arange my words in a way which they can understand. Sooo....

When I was a kid I was sleep deprived but now I cannot go without sleep within a 24 hour period or I feel really weird and on edge. I cannot concentrate without sleep. I might have disliked the idea of going to sleep because it frightened me as a young child, but now I welcome sleep with closed eyes and can't wait to start dreaming.

Going without sleep makes me feel allvspacey and like a zombie and puts me in a snapdragon mood.