Pumped up and on adrenalin

Staying up late for many nights does strange things to you. I noticed this only this morning, and the cause for this was that I've been having late nights (2-3 am) and early mornings (7am) for three nights in a row now. Although such periods have been a frequent occurance for a couple of years now, it was only today morning that I thought about this phenomena.

The effects of sleep deprivation are quite interesting. A major one is that of mood swings - I feel quite exhilerated right now (though not fully coherent), perhaps because of the adrenalin being pumped into my nervous system. However, I am also cognizant that by afternoon I will be completely deflated and snappy.

Another effect is on my appetite - I usually dont want to eat anything when I am sleep deprived. However, stimulants like tea and coffee are always welcome.

Usually such periods are followed by a bout of slight illness, like the flu or a cold. Though now since I am aware of this, I take enough precaution, like wearing warm clothes, and not ingesting any alcohol, and drinking plenty of water.

There is also an interesting effect on productivity. Because of the mood swings, the only way to maintain a decent work output is to work when peppy and chill when down. However, the problem is that when I'm peppy I never feel like working (for eg now - when I'm listening to Nirvana and blogging). So productivity takes a hit.

However, I also think that sleep deprivation addles your mind a bit and therefore makes you a bit more creative and lateral (for a short period of time).

What do you think?