Why do we overreact when we are sleep-deprived?
Humans need to sleep. A good night's sleep guarantees that we will start the new day with clear thoughts. Despite knowing this about sleep, the answer to why sleep is so important remains a mystery.
TL;DR
- Sleep deprivation causes us to overreact to stimuli.
- Research shows that when people are tired, neutral images can elicit emotional responses.
- During sleep deprivation, the amygdala (involved in emotions) and the Anterior Cingulate Cortex (which controls emotions) become unsynchronized.
- This lack of synchronization in the brain leads to a loss of emotional control and the inability to distinguish between important and unimportant events.