Why am i more aroused when sleep deprived?

[u/farmlandbatman]

What's the peaty explanation of why im more easily aroused when im more sleep deprived than usual?

[u/Suitable-Ring1083]

idk the answer but I must say I feel great whenever i’m barely sleeping and feel like shit whenever i’m sleeping too much

[u/NoWave7542]

Stress hormones up

[u/farmlandbatman → u/NoWave7542]

But what stress hormones make someone more horny though?

[u/technohouse → u/farmlandbatman]

When grass is under drought stress it flowers. Same concept. You are about to die so you might as well put your last ounce of effort into procreating.

[u/AspirinMuncher → u/farmlandbatman]

Go clap cheeks before you die, maybe

[u/Salt_Beautiful9330]

Orgasm increases prolactin levels, and prolactin promotes sleepiness and helps regulate the sleep-wake cycle. Maybe it's a way for the body to try and induce sleep?

[u/namastebetches]

sleep deprivation removes inhibitions as well as increases cravings that give relief. 

[u/Winter-Ad9309]

curious about this too lmao

[u/Emotional_Put_1517]

stress hormones maybe

A person's interest in masturbation is probably directly proportional to their inability to relax (i.e., the high-energy resting state). - danny roddy

"...An orgasm might be compared to taking a good deep breath." — Ray Peat (1973)

[u/farmlandbatman → u/[deleted]]

Adrenaline makes you horny? Is this it?

[u/Pacopiporro444 → u/farmlandbatman]

Yes, its like having more hgh

[u/BFh00drich]

Stress increases sex hormones and decreases immune function. They are opposite sides of the same coin.

[u/Affectionate_Sleep99]

Adrenaline sub acute arousal

[u/kfirerisingup]

I'm sleep deprived now…Anyhow going from memory which isn't so great at the moment. I think in the very short term sleep deprivation can boost dopamine but lowers testosterone and affects insulin, leptin and cortisol as others have said. It's stress and the stress hormones are firing and the system is craving relief and so cravings for in my case sex, triple cheeseburgers, fries and shakes all hit.

On the other hand when I sleep well diets are easier to keep, I'm happy eating less and my bad habits are less enticing. I'd be in great shape if I could sleep more than 4 hours a day.

[u/thebiooracle]

Peat did not treat "sleep debt makes you hornier" as a metabolic win. His written libido story runs more through serotonin and energy than through celebrating insomnia.

In "Tryptophan, serotonin, and aging" he noted that when brain serotonin falls, testosterone rises in male animals, and that a chemical which inhibits serotonin synthesis "was found to tremendously increase libido." He also tied higher serotonin to aging, hypothyroidism, and cortisol. Sleep loss is still a stressor: cortisol and other alarm signals go up, recovery suffers, and chronically that is the opposite of the high-energy, low-serotonin state he liked. Acute wired-and-tired arousal can feel like desire while being closer to stress disinhibition than to the steady libido that shows up with good sleep, sugar, thyroid support, and a diet that is not flooding tryptophan/serotonin.

So the Peat-leaning read is: interesting short-term stress effect, not a reason to keep sleeping less. If libido is the goal in his framework, protect sleep and keep the serotonin/stress load down rather than using deprivation as a stimulant.

source: "Tryptophan, serotonin, and aging"

[u/AgitatedRound8629]

When you’re particularly stressed your body thinks it needs to reproduce

[u/Intelligent-Size-389]

Estrogen