The world can feel dark at night, with negative thoughts invading our minds as we lie awake. Research suggests that the human mind functions differently after midnight, with certain hours of the day influencing our emotions and behavior.
At night, our brain activity is altered, making us more prone to negative thoughts and impulsive behaviors. This is because our natural sleep-wake cycle influences our emotions and behavior, and nighttime is a time when humans are less effective at hunting and gathering.
This can lead to increased attention to negative stimuli, which can then feed into an altered reward system, making us more likely to engage in risky behaviors. Adding sleep loss to the mix only makes this state of consciousness more problematic.
Studies have shown that people who are awake at night are more likely to experience suicidal thoughts and engage in self-harm. In fact, research reports a threefold higher risk of suicide between midnight and 6:00 am compared to any other time of day.
Other behaviors, such as taking illicit or dangerous substances, also tend to increase at night. This could be due to sleep debt or the cover that darkness offers, but nighttime neurological changes may also play a role.
To better understand how our brains work during this time, researchers are calling for more studies on the impact of sleep deprivation and circadian timing on reward processing.
Source: https://www.sciencealert.com/the-human-mind-isnt-meant-to-be-awake-past-midnight-scientists-warn