A new interesting research project found almost a humorous response to sleep deprivation.

In this study, the researchers found that sleep loss was associated with increased state anger manifested as more intense angry feelings and emotion. However, on the flipside, those same sleep deprived individuals had a reduced propensity to act on their feelings.

This study concluded that sleep loss appears to increase the subjective experience of state anger, it also reduces the energy and propensity to act on it.

Simply put, the bark of a highly sleep-deprived person is far worse than the bite.

Changes in State and Trait Anger Following 56 hours of Sleep Deprivation, by R. Newman, A. Krugler, A. Kamimori, and G. Kilgore was presented at Sleep 2007, the 21st annual meeting of the Association Professional Sleep Professionals Societies, LLC.