Less sleep impairs mental performance
Recent research shows that many nights of little sleep, fewer than six hours a night, can impair mental performance as much as not getting sleep for two nights in a row.
Recent research shows that many nights of little sleep, fewer than six hours a night, can impair mental performance as much as not getting sleep for two nights in a row.
The researchers from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine included 48 participants in the study who were divided into four groups that slept either four, six or eight hours a night for two weeks, or had no sleep for three days. The groups were monitored in a laboratory throughout the two weeks to ensure that they did not sleep off or used caffeine. They were assessed on a battery of mental and physiological tests periodically every day and were also asked to evaluate how tired they felt. Night sleep periods were restricted to 8 hours, 6 hours or 4 hours per day for 14 days, or to no sleep for 3 nights. All other sleep was prohibited.
It was found that people sleeping less than eight hours a night were slower to react, less able to think clearly and perform simple memory tasks. They also performed as poorly on certain tasks as the individuals evaluated after one or two nights of sleeplessness. However, getting some sleep made individuals feel less tired than those who went without sleep despite test results that showed they were just as impaired.
This study is important and relevant because it shows what happens when the body alone deals with its tiredness in the absence of chemical stimulants like caffeine or other distractions. Data from the National Sleep Foundation show that Americans sleep an average of seven hours a night during the week, although 31 percent of all adults regularly get less sleep. The study also found that there were large individual differences in how much people needed to sleep. The researchers said that everybody needs a different amount of sleep. Getting sufficient amounts of sleep is a lifestyle decision. It is one of the many important functions of life and one needs to control it.
Since restriction of sleep to 6 h or less per night produced cognitive performance deficits equivalent to up to 2 nights of total sleep deprivation, it appears that even relatively moderate sleep restriction can seriously impair behavioural functions in healthy adults. The data from the current study contradicts a popular notion that our bodies can become accustomed to functioning on sustained periods of little sleep without any consequences.
Sleep, March 2003 Vol. 26 (2)
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