Genius Foods

front of your brain, just behind your forehead, the prefrontal
cortex is thought to be responsible for planning, decision
making, expression of one’s personality, and self-awareness
itself. Save for when we send it on vacation with the
activities I just mentioned, a functional prefrontal cortex is
very important to daily life.
Unfortunately, this region of the brain—and all its
associated tasks—suffers when we are sleep deprived,
according to research from the University of California,
Berkeley. This can lead to a reduced ability to regulate our
emotions. Why? The prefrontal cortex usually helps put
emotional experiences into context so that we can respond
appropriately, but it becomes dysfunctional with sleep loss,
letting the primitive and fearful amygdala (the brain’s “fear
center”) call the shots instead.
Matthew Walker, director of UC Berkeley’s Sleep and
Neuroimaging Laboratory, said in a release, “It’s almost as
though, without sleep, the brain had reverted back to more
primitive patterns of activity, in that it was unable to put
emotional experiences into context and produce controlled,
appropriate responses.” An amygdala set free of the
watchful eye of the prefrontal cortex might be good for an
immersive horror movie–watching experience, but it’s bad
for daily life—especially when it comes to nutrition. Our
brains are programmed to seek out sugar, lest they die come
winter. With a sleep-deprived prefrontal cortex, say
goodbye to your will-power and self-control. If you are
prone to overeating or indulging in junk food, just one
single night of sleep loss is enough to sidetrack your best
efforts at a healthy diet.