Why do we feel euphoria when we pull an all-nighter?
In: Biology
I’m not sure there is an answer to this, as I am not sure that is a typical reaction to sleep deprivation. Hope this response doesn’t get me flagged but… I work in an industry where all nighters and sleep dep is rampant and most of what is said about it is its detrimental effects. Never experienced or heard mention of euphoria.
This seems like a unique reaction to sleep deprivation. It is more common that people experience the negative effects of lack of sleep. This includes buy is not limited to: Headaches, Dizziness, Hallucinations, Confusion, Drowsiness, Difficulty keeping focus, and Fatigue.
However, in extreme situations, like starvation or acute pain the body responds with the “fight or flight” natural condition. This means that, for example, you break your arm and feel a lot of pain, your brain will flood your body with endorphins and a mix of other natural chemicals to help you regulate the pain and get out of the harmful situation.
As for your question specifically, I have never heard of anyone feeling euphoria due to sleep deprivation. However I have heard of people feeling really “mello” or relaxed to the point of “not worrying” about anything. This may suggest that your body is trying to help you relax and fall asleep.
So remember that the human body is like a machine- it’s built with different parts and systems for different things. But most good machines have ways of at keeping running when one or two things go wrong- think of them as failsafes.
Human bodies have a lot of these systems, all with the stated goal of keeping you alive. They get triggered when something goes wrong- usually when you are either in danger, or a basic need is not getting met (like food or water). Let’s focus on that second one- when a basic need is not met, the body assumes you are in some sort of danger, so it “activates the fail safe” to keep you safe.
When you lack sleep, your body doesn’t necessarily know why. But it just knows that you are not getting something essential, so it assumes you’re in danger. You could stay up all night watching TV, or be running from terrifying animals for a long time with no rest, and your body wouldn’t really know the difference.
So, with no sleep, your body does what it can to a). Keep you alive, and b). Keep you moving. So in some ways it gives you a strong positive feeling to keep you moving, because the body thinks you need to find a safe place to sleep. In other ways, it moves oxygen and other important things from your brain to the rest of your body, because those parts need it to keep going. This has a side effect of feeling euphoric.
TLDR: Pull an all nighter, and your body will assume you’re in a desperate situation. So it makes you feel good and light so you have the best chance of surviving, in the short term.
At least on the occasion that you willingly and happily stay up all night (like at a sleepover), then the euphoria in the morning would just be from achieving your goal. I also think the sunrise would have a psychological effect on you, perhaps wake you up a little and give you a little burst of energy.
I also just really enjoy the peaceful morning air, seeing all the shops open up and such.
Despite the euphoria though, pulling an all nighter is very bad for your health and you should really avoid it.
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