Staying up all night leads to risky behavior, study finds

By Staff Writer

A new report reveals that sleepless nights can lead to addictive behavior and risky decision-making.

The study, which appears in the Journal of Neuroscience, was conducted by researchers from the University of California-Berkeley and Harvard Medical School. The team examined the brain activity among 27 healthy young adults, half of whom received a good night's rest and the others pulled an all-nighter.

They found that lack of sleep leads to a significant boost in their pleasure circuitry, which can lead to stimulated feelings of euphoria, reward and motivation. However, this may also lead to risky behavior, researchers warn. Heightened activity in the mesolimbic pathway, which is a neural circuit driven by dopamine, affects one's sex drive, addictive cravings and decision-making.

Some individuals who suffer from depression intentionally stay up all night in order to trigger feelings of optimism. However, this effect is short term and eventually subsides. The sleep deprived brain works in extremes, so these people are likely to feel elevated levels of sadness and anxiety.

Adolescents who suffer from insomnia may benefit from the structure that is offered by many boarding schools.