Why am I extra-ticklish when I'm sleepy?

November 28, 2007 10:59 AM

Why o why am I more ticklish when I'm tired? I'm always ticklish but I notice a marked increase in twitchy tickle-inspired laughing fits when I'm yawny.
posted by pieliza to Human Relations (5 answers total)

I am worse when I'm tired because I don't have the strength to fight off the tickles. I imagine you flex your muscles tightly to make them less ticklish, and if you're sleepy you don't react as quickly.
posted by ZackTM at 11:03 AM on November 28, 2007

I have no idea, but I imagine it has something to do with the way your mind processes sensations when you're tired or sleepy versus whether you're alert. If someone touches me when I'm starting to fall asleep, it often feels tickly and nerve-jangling even though it wouldn't if I were fully awake. Some sort of sensory overload thing, I think.
posted by Metroid Baby at 12:15 PM on November 28, 2007

You're more relaxed and thus more susceptible?
posted by KAS at 1:40 PM on November 28, 2007

I just did a Google search and now I see why you didn't just do a bunch of searches varying on "ticklish [xyz]"...
posted by KAS at 1:42 PM on November 28, 2007

When I get really tired, I get slaphappy; anything that will make me laugh when I'm not tired will make me laugh ten times harder when I'm exhausted. Do you laugh more at not-all-that-funny jokes, too?
posted by booksandlibretti at 7:31 AM on November 29, 2007