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Background: After staying awake for an entire night without sleeping medication, some individuals report feeling tired while others report feeling euphoric and at some point begin to hallucinate with funny noises endlessly repeating.

Questions:

  • What neural or psychological mechanisms could make an individual want to experience the effects of sleep deprivation?
  • Is sleep deprivation addictive?
  • Does sleep deprivation count as a drug?
  • Is enjoying sleep deprivation related to having Asperger's Syndrome?
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  • $\begingroup$ For what it's worth, that euphoric feeling from sleep deprivation is one of the few ways I can relax. There are very few activities that I enjoy in my spare time and I'm learning about myself that I am relaxed the most at 4AM on a weeknight. I am not a cognitive scientist but I absolutely believe my behavior is related to 'seeking pleasure' rather than just a bad habit as mentioned by the other answer. $\endgroup$
    – user7641
    Commented Feb 11, 2015 at 0:03
  • $\begingroup$ @user7641 - sleep deprivation does help seem to give the 'night owls' a mood lift. $\endgroup$
    – sfxedit
    Commented Dec 28, 2020 at 0:16
  • $\begingroup$ The euphoria is possibly caused by mania (rather than a high). Mania can cause one to hyperfocus, and hyperfocus can cause one to not go to bed. I'm guessing you'd see stronger symptoms in people who are exposed to more light for longer periods than those who are simply awake in the dark. $\endgroup$
    – Brōtsyorfuzthrāx
    Commented Aug 22, 2023 at 16:50
  • $\begingroup$ I say this because it seems possible from studies I've read about a long time ago that sleep deprivation might actually be a cause of mania (since they cause similar symptoms). Of course, there weren't any conclusions on that topic. $\endgroup$
    – Brōtsyorfuzthrāx
    Commented Aug 22, 2023 at 16:57

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Assuming there's not a neurological dysfunction underlying sleep deprivation (which is even more possible with Aspergers as sleep dysfunction is a typical comorbidity) it can simply be a learned behavior. The more you do something (whether you particularly "enjoy" it or not) the more likely you are to build it up as a habit. Procedural memory is always at work.

So in this regard, it can be addictive behavior in the same way a "bad habit" can.

I wouldn't call it a drug. Pharmaceutical drugs are defined as the intentional delivery of a substance from externally to inside the body: most commonly acting as an allosteric modulator on neural receptors.

About 73% of children with Asperger's experience problems with sleep according to the Asperger's Association of New England.

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Possibly of interest: 2011 study from Berkeley, published in the Journal of Neuroscience: Pulling an all-nighter can bring on euphoria and risky behavior: https://news.berkeley.edu/2011/03/22/pulling-an-all-nighter/

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"The more you do something (whether you particularly "enjoy" it or not) the more likely you are to build it up as a habit"

This simply is not the case.

"So in this regard, it can be addictive behavior in the same way a "bad habit" can."

Bad habits can not be "addictive". That is not what either word means.

In fact, sleep deprivation leads to an alteration in brain function similar to that seen in drug use, and in particular, a heightened response to emotional stimuli, with an exaggeration of assessments of positive events, through heightened responses in the dopamine reward centers of the brain. This occurs through currently unknown mechanisms. Whether this then leads to long-term changes in function of dopamine reward circuitry is currently unknown, however.

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    $\begingroup$ I've added some citations that seem relevant to what you said. Please review it and see if it is apt. Thanks. $\endgroup$
    – sfxedit
    Commented Dec 27, 2020 at 23:49
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  • Is sleep deprivation addictive?

That may not be a correct conclusion based solely on the symptoms of mania that some people experience. While sleep deprivation has been used to treat depression, with some success, it should be noted that acute sleep deprivation provides a brief relief against depression, but chronic sleep deprivation is also linked with increased depression for many. Moreover, chronic sleep deprivation spread over many months or even years is linked with increased stress, weight gain and weakened immune system.

  • Does sleep deprivation count as a drug?

It has been tested as therapeutic substitute to drugs to treat depression and has proved effective in providing a brief relief to some individuals. But no, it is hard to conclude that sleep deprivation is akin to an addictive drug based on the available research.

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