03-010 · EVIDENCE B · LOW-RISK READING
Don’t make major decisions or send important messages late at night
深夜不做重大决定、不发要紧的消息
No cost at all. You simply postpone these tasks until after you’ve woken up.
People who stayed awake for 49.5 hours were asked to take part in risk decision experiments. When well-rested, they quickly learned to avoid high-risk options; after sleep deprivation, they repeatedly chose high-risk choices instead. The older a person is, the more pronounced this effect becomes. This study looked at the extreme scenario of two consecutive sleepless nights; it did not directly test how much impact a few fewer hours of sleep would have, but the overall trend supports postponing important decisions until the next day.
B
Move “Don’t make major decisions or send important messages late at night” to Future Me's calendar
The excuse
I can spend longer deciding whether to start than the small action would take.
What feels good now
Today I keep a few minutes, a bit of persistence and avoid interrupting my default routine.
What the source says
The source summarizes the return this way: “People who stayed awake for 49.5 hours were asked to take part in risk decision experiments. When well-rested, they quickly learned to avoid high-risk options; after sleep deprivation, they repeatedly chose high-risk choices instead. The older a person is, the more pronounced this effect becomes. This study looked at the extreme scenario of two consecutive sleepless nights; it did not directly test how much impact a few fewer hours of sleep would have, but the overall trend supports postponing important decisions until the next day.” Evidence grade B. The original states the population, caveats, and sources; this is not a personal forecast.
Open the original entry, check who the evidence applies to, then pick one small step that fits.
THE ENGLISH EDITION
Original recommendation and evidence
10. Don’t make major decisions or send important messages late at night
Cost: No cost at all. You simply postpone these tasks until after you’ve woken up.
In plain terms: People who stayed awake for 49.5 hours were asked to take part in risk decision experiments. When well-rested, they quickly learned to avoid high-risk options; after sleep deprivation, they repeatedly chose high-risk choices instead. The older a person is, the more pronounced this effect becomes. This study looked at the extreme scenario of two consecutive sleepless nights; it did not directly test how much impact a few fewer hours of sleep would have, but the overall trend supports postponing important decisions until the next day.
Benefit: Thirty-four healthy participants completed the Iowa Gambling Task after going 49.5 hours without sleep. This task is a standard way to measure risk decision making. When well-rested, they quickly learned to steer clear of high-risk options; after sleep loss, they opted for high-risk choices far more often. Older participants showed a stronger response to this effect. This is the only study of its kind to date. The total number of participants was 34.
Evidence grade: B
Sources: Killgore, Balkin & Wesensten (2006). Impaired decision making following 49 h of sleep deprivation. Journal of Sleep Research. <https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2869.2006.00487.x>
Notes: The research focused on the extreme case of two nights of continuous sleep deprivation. There is no direct data on how ordinary people fare after staying awake until 2 a.m. The advice to avoid sending messages late at night is based on the authors’ personal experience (rated as Grade C evidence); it is perfectly fine to send such messages the following day instead.
Read the complete Chinese source and notes
10. 深夜不做重大决定、不发要紧的消息
成本: 不花钱。只是把事情推到睡醒之后再办。
说人话: 人睡饱的时候，很快就能学会躲开高风险的选项。连着两晚没睡之后，反而一次次挑高风险的，年纪越大越明显。少睡几小时有多大影响没人测过，但要紧的决定还是推到睡醒以后。
收益: 34 名健康人在 49.5 小时不睡之后，做爱荷华赌博任务。这是一种衡量风险决策的实验。休息充足时，他们能很快学会避开高风险选项。缺觉之后，反而更多地选高风险选项。年纪大的人受影响更大。这是一项实验，只有这一项研究。
证据等级: B
来源: Killgore, Balkin & Wesensten (2006). Impaired decision making following 49 h of sleep deprivation. Journal of Sleep Research. <https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2869.2006.00487.x>
备注: 研究的是连续两晚不睡的极端情况。普通人熬到凌晨两点会怎样，没有直接测过。「不发消息」那半是作者经验（C 级），第二天再发也不迟。
YOUR PRIVATE LIST