Have you ever found yourself in the middle of the night, unable to sleep, with your mind invaded by negative thoughts? It seems that this tendency towards negativity has a scientific explanation, connected to the functions of circadian rhythms.
According to a 2022 study, our brain is not designed to stay awake past midnight: after this hour, in fact, our attention to negative stimuli increases (probably in memory of a past as hunters, which required us to remain alert to avoid attacks by possible predators) and this can then fuel an altered reward system, making us particularly prone to engaging in risky behaviors.
Dangerous behaviors. The authors use two examples to explain their hypothesis: that of a heroin addict who manages to control his addiction during the day, but succumbs to it at night; and that of a university student who suffers from insomnia and, during his sleepless nights, begins to feel a sense of loneliness, despondency and desperation.
Both scenarios, the authors point out, can be fatal and push the protagonists to suicide: insomnia and disturbed sleep have long been scientifically recognized risk factors for suicidal thoughts and behaviors, and some research highlights a three times higher risk of suicide between midnight and six in the morning compared to any other time slot.
Research from 2020 also highlighted increased drug use at night: in a controlled drug use center in Barcelona, ​​a night-time risk of opioid overdose was recorded that was 4.7 times higher than normal.
An unexplored bond. To date, science has not yet thoroughly studied how sleep deprivation and circadian rhythms affect the reward circuit: we know very little about the way the human mind works for about six hours a day, and how professionals such as pilots or doctors – on whom the lives of many people often depend – can tolerate sleepless nights in which they have to carry out mentally demanding jobs. It will therefore be important for future research to focus on these issues, investigating the nocturnal functioning of the brain in more depth.