How does sleep deprivation affect adolescent decision-making and risk-taking?

How does sleep deprivation affect adolescent decision-making and risk-taking?

• A. It improves impulse control.
• B. It has no effect on mood.
• C. It impairs executive function, increases impulsivity, and heightens mood problems.
• D. It only affects physical performance, not cognition.

Answer: (C)

Sleep deprivation disrupts decision-making in teens by hitting both thinking and emotion systems. The prefrontal cortex, which guides planning, inhibition, and weighing consequences, operates less effectively when a teen hasn’t slept well. At the same time, the emotional brain (like the amygdala) can become more reactive, making impulses feel more compelling. The combination leads to poorer judgment, more impulsivity, and mood problems such as irritability or negative affect, all of which push toward riskier choices. This effect goes beyond physical performance and includes cognitive and emotional functioning, which is why this option best captures the overall impact. Sleep loss does not improve impulse control, nor does it leave mood unchanged or affect only physical tasks.

Sleep deprivation disrupts decision-making in teens by hitting both thinking and emotion systems. The prefrontal cortex, which guides planning, inhibition, and weighing consequences, operates less effectively when a teen hasn’t slept well. At the same time, the emotional brain (like the amygdala) can become more reactive, making impulses feel more compelling. The combination leads to poorer judgment, more impulsivity, and mood problems such as irritability or negative affect, all of which push toward riskier choices. This effect goes beyond physical performance and includes cognitive and emotional functioning, which is why this option best captures the overall impact. Sleep loss does not improve impulse control, nor does it leave mood unchanged or affect only physical tasks.