Lack of sleep negatively impacts neurocognitive functions, affecting attention, motor responses, inhibition control, and working memory, as per a recent study. Individuals who stay up all night tend to be emotionally detached from decision outcomes. It is recommended to avoid making crucial decisions the day following a sleepless night.
Lack of enough sleep may impair decision making
Opting for takeout over cooking dinner is a relatively inconsequential choice, but individuals in high-pressure roles such as surgeons, first responders, or politicians are more prone to making suboptimal decisions when operating on lack of sleep.
Sleep research consistently demonstrates the essential role of sleep in our lives. The brain is significantly affected even after just one night of sleep deprivation. The impact of sleep loss on the brain is diverse and encompasses various cognitive functions.
Zhuo Fang, a data scientist at the University of Ottawa and co-first study author said that Sleep deprivation and disorders can adversely affect cognitive function, attention, and efficiency. Beyond these impacts, there is also an emotional toll.
In the recent study, Fang utilized brain imaging to investigate the influence of sleep deprivation on decision-making in 56 adults who experienced a single night without sleep. The results revealed that sleep-deprived individuals exhibited diminished decision-making abilities, as evidenced by weakened neural responses to win and loss outcomes.
Neural mechanism that regulate risk-taking diminished by wakefulness
Notably, participants became desensitized to the consequences of their decisions, displaying reduced positive emotions for favorable outcomes and diminished negative emotions for unfavorable results compared to those who made decisions after a full night’s rest.
The neural mechanisms responsible for regulating risk-taking conduct seemed to diminish following an extended period of wakefulness. The researchers suggest that individuals deprived of sleep might perceive the risk associated with a particular decision in a distorted manner.
Fang explained that on particular occupations where individuals tasked with making decisions must function under prolonged sleep deprivation, it may be essential to provide specialized training or implement fatigue risk management strategies to ensure their effective handling of such circumstances.
