Why do we feel euphoria when we pull an all-nighter?
In: Biology
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.
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