It can be quite unsettling to wake up from sleep with tears. Crying during sleep is something that can happen to people of all ages. Crying in your sleep can often be linked to past trauma. This happens because our brains have a daily routine that includes dealing with unresolved emotions and memories. This process not only involves cleaning out toxins and storing memories but also processing events from the day or even things from the distant past. In essence, our brain works through these emotions and memories while we sleep, which can lead to tears, especially if there is an unresolved trauma or grief.
When adults are dealing with mental health issues or have recently gone through a traumatic experience, it is not uncommon for them to cry in their sleep or after waking up. Here are 10 reasons why this happens.
Anxiety and Stress
Life can be really stressful, with problems at work and in life. When you are facing a lot of complicated situations, your body needs a way to deal with them. That is where sleep comes in. It helps your brain process these challenges, form emotional memories, develop empathy and control emotional reactions.
Depression
Depression is a common mood disorder marked by persistent feelings of sadness, hopelessness and losing interest in things one used to enjoy. The connection between sleep problems and depression is well-established.
Suppressed Emotion
People cope with tragedy or trauma in their own unique ways. Some find it easy to express their emotions, ask for support and recover swiftly. On the other hand, others choose to keep their feelings to themselves, pull away from others or pretend that everything is okay. They may stay occupied during the day but at night troubling emotions can surface, resulting in sleep issues.
Nightmares
Nightmares are worse than regular bad dreams. You might recall having more of these scary dreams as a child, but they can still happen to people of any age, including adults. When you wake up from a nightmare, it can leave you feeling really scared, upset, shaken, and uneasy. Scientists are not entirely certain why nightmares occur but they think they are linked to how we handle tough emotions, stress, difficult situations and anxiety about things that are coming up in the future.
Parasomnia
Parasomnia is a group of sleep disorders, such as sleepwalking and sleeptalking. People with parasomnia act out their dreams while asleep, sometimes even crying. If a family member has it, you might be at a higher risk. Stress, anxiety and changes in sleep patterns can make parasomnia even worse. It can be dangerous because the person is not aware of their surroundings
Diurnal Mood Variation
If you often find yourself feeling sad and tearful in the morning but gradually feel better as the day goes on, you may be experiencing a type of depression known as diurnal mood variation or morning depression. This seems to be related to issues with the body’s internal clock, which controls sleep patterns and the hormones that influence mood and energy levels.
Less Sleep
One common cause of waking up in tears is having nightmares. These distressing dreams often include elements related to trauma, anxiety, or fear. Having frequent nightmares can be a sign of growing emotional stress and potential mental health concerns.
Medication
Certain medications can cause unusual reactions. If you have just begun a new medication, it might be the cause. Changes in your medications could also be the reason. Different medications can have varying effects, even if they are meant for the same condition.
Buried Grief
When you experience a heartbreaking loss, it is common to not give yourself the space to properly mourn, which can be important for processing the emotions. When grief is suppressed or blocked, it can manifest in difficulty making choices, feelings of sadness and anxiety, sleep disturbances like waking up in tears, and a constant sense of heaviness and fatigue.
Transition Between Stages of Sleep
When you sleep, you go through five stages, moving from lighter to deeper sleep, including a phase called rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. These transitions are usually unnoticed by adults. In babies and toddlers, these transitions can be unsettling because they signal a change in their state that they might not comprehend or ignore yet.
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