Dr. Alok 'Dr. K' Kanojia

Here's the other thing.

So when I'm awake during the day and I'm like, I start to feel anxious, there's a part of my brain that's like, we ain't got time for that.

We got to read memories, dreams, and reflections.

We got to get through 50 pages of this today because they're going to talk about it in class tomorrow.

So there's a part of your brain that controls your emotions.

The frontal lobe also suppresses the amygdala, shuts it off, says, hey, calm down.

But the frontal lobe gets drained.

So if you've done a lot of emotional suppression, you feel exhausted at the end of the day.

If you've exerted a lot of willpower, you run out.

Willpower is actually a diminishing resource that your frontal lobes start with.

So the frontal lobe can't be active for 24 hours a day.

And we need it when we're awake.

Which means that as we go to bed, the frontal lobe shuts off.

It decreases inactivity.

This is also a feature.

But as the frontal lobe shuts off, our ability to suppress our anxiety decreases.

This is why nighttime anxiety is so much worse.

Because the part of our brain that experiences anxiety turns on more.

And the part of our brain that reduces anxiety is like, hey, brah, I need to rest.

And if you think about what happens to your willpower if you get a good night's rest, what happens to your willpower if you don't get a good night's rest?