Morning’s Maximum Vulnerability Zone

You’d think we are at our most tired in the dead of night, but there’s a specific window in the morning

where your brain is actually most vulnerable to mistakes. Researchers have identified the hours

between 6 AM and 10 AM as a "zone of maximum vulnerability" to performance failure. It sounds counterintuitive

since you’ve just woken up, but here is what’s happening: while your core body temperature

is starting to rise—which usually helps you feel alert—your internal homeostatic pressure for sleep

is still dragging behind, creating a biological phase delay. This conflict between

your internal clock and your sleep drive means your cognitive functions can continue to decline for hours

after the sun comes up, making this period a peak time for accidents and degraded