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Anecdotally, we know we make worse decisions when we’re tired than after a good night’s sleep. Now, a new study published in the Journal of Neuroscience puts a finer point on the link between sleep deprivation and unwise decision-making, finding that a sleepy brain tends to make overly optimistic gambles.

Sleep deprivation can lead to plenty of unwise decisions, which researchers have long tied to flagging attention and short-term memory. But a new study shows how just one night of missed sleep can make people more likely to chase big gains while risking even larger losses—independent of their tapering attention spans.

Sleep deprivation may lead to overly optimistic thinking that fails to properly consider the potential consequences of financial risks, a new study suggests.