Brain Study: Why You’re Not Meant to Stay Up Late

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A group of researchers has discovered that the human brain not prepared to stay awake past midnight. According to the results of a study carried out by specialists at Harvard University, mental functioning changes during these hours, causing alterations in emotions, perception and the ability to self-control.

The research, published in the journal Frontiers in Network Psychology, is based on the hypothesis called Mind After Midnightwhich looks at how the circadian rhythm influences nocturnal behaviors. This biological clock, responsible for regulating the body’s functions throughout the day, it becomes unbalanced by prolonging wakefulnesswhich generates greater psychological vulnerability and an increase in impulsive decisions.

Emotional and cognitive alterations during the night

Scientists explain that, after midnight, brain activity undergoes a change that enhances attention towards negative stimuli and reduces inhibitions. This phenomenon, useful in prehistoric times to detect dangers, has today become a disadvantage that favors the appearance of negative thoughts, anxiety or self-destructive behaviors.

“There are millions of people awake in the middle of the night, and there is strong evidence that their brains do not function the same as they do during the day,” said neurologist Elizabeth Klerman, one of the authors of the study. Experts maintain that, during the early morning, the brain’s reward and motivation mechanisms become desynchronizedpromoting actions that, under normal conditions, would be discarded.

Consequences for mental health and risk behaviors

In the area of ​​drug consumption, the authors highlight a study carried out in Brazil, where a 4.7-fold increase in opioid overdoses during the night was recorded. This pattern confirms that the human mind, by staying awake longer than recommended, behaves more impulsively and less rationallyaffecting both mental health and physical well-being.

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Specialists warn that little is still known about how sleep deprivation and circadian desynchronization affect emotional regulation and reward processing. Therefore, they propose expanding research to understand how these alterations influence professionals with night shifts, such as pilots, doctors or healthcare personnel, who must maintain active attention during the most critical hours of the biological cycle.