system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
Why do we talk & act like we're drunk when we become exhausted?

As someone who's had plenty of nights *that* drunk & also had work days that seemed to never end (not at the same time)... I've always wondered this.


Can anyone explain this to me?


EDIT: thank you kindly to those that replied with intent to truly answer my question.  Best response (& scariest) so far, by cough_e:


>When you are sleep deprived your body still produces GABA. Caffeine or other energy stimulants typically work to increase excitatory neurotransmitters, but the effects of GABA will ultimately outwork these supplements, especially in the brain.


O_o...
gpt
Although this thread seems to be a downvote magnet, no one has really answered the question.

Although there are other factors at play, the main reason your body feels tired is because an increase in the neurotransmitter gamma-Aminobutyric acid, or GABA. This is an inhibitor that blocks the normal excitability of neurons throughout the body. 

When you are sleep deprived your body still produces GABA. Caffeine or other energy stimulants typically work to increase excitatory neurotransmitters, but the effects of GABA will ultimately outwork these supplements, especially in the brain. As your body attempts to fall asleep (despite your paper being due tomorrow morning) GABA begins to shut down your brain's control of the physical functions it uses when awake.

The cerebellum is a major brain segment that controls really basic tasks, such as walking and talking. Since these are only useful when awake and the cerebellum is at the bottom of the brain, it gets targeted first by GABA. It's clear to see why when someone gets overly tired, their abilities to walk and talk would become a bit impaired. If they became even more sleep deprived, their abilities to think and reason would also begin to shut down.

Not surprisingly, alcohol also increases the production of GABA, which is why it is a depressant. All the same consequences of sleep deprivation are equal to and amplified by the intake of alcohol. From losing "inhibitions" to losing balance and slurring speech, GABA increase leads to the shutdown of basic brain functions.