Total sleep deprivation, chronic sleep restriction and sleep disruption
Section snippets
Basal sleep need
A variety of factors determine the amount of sleep an individual habitually obtains, such as genetic, environmental and societal factors. Sleep needs can be described as habitual sleep duration in the absence of pre-existing sleep debt (Dinges et al., 2005). Given this definition, basal need for sleep appears to be between 7.5 and 8.5 h per day in healthy adult humans. This is based on a study in which any prior sleepiness was removed through many nights of extended sleep that stabilized at a
Total sleep deprivation
The first published investigations of the effect of total sleep deprivation on cognition date back to the late 19th century (Patrick and Gilbert, 1896). The early experiments used lengthy periods of sleep deprivation (e.g. 90 h) and found that memory and reaction time were significantly affected. These studies initiated a new area of research and since then many hundreds of more detailed and systematic studies have been conducted. To date, total sleep deprivation is still the most common
Sleep restriction
Sleep restriction, also known as partial sleep deprivation, occurs when sleep is reduced below an individual's usual baseline or the amount of sleep needed on a regular basis to maintain optimal performance. It is a common phenomenon, as sleep time is affected by a multitude of factors including social responsibilities, work requirements and medical illnesses. A number of different approaches to understanding the mechanisms behind sleep restriction and its effects on cognitive functioning have
Sleep disruption
Sleep disruption is the least researched form of sleep loss. However, a number of studies have shown that disrupted sleep has significant consequences for cognitive functioning (for review, see Bonnet and Arand, 2003). The effects of sleep disruption are particularly pertinent for populations who experience fragmented sleep opportunities as a result of occupational demands, environmental disturbance or certain medical conditions. Further research in this area is particularly important, as
A comparison between sleep deprivation, restriction and disruption
Total sleep deprivation, sleep restriction and sleep disruption all adversely affect cognitive functioning. While sleep disruption has received less systematic investigation than total sleep deprivation and sleep restriction, it has been found to result in a reduction in cognitive functioning on par with total sleep deprivation (Bonnet and Arand, 2003, Wesensten et al., 1999). Similarly, cognitive deficits can accumulate over multiple days of sleep restriction to levels comparable to one or two
Conclusion
Limiting or disrupting sleep opportunities in normal, healthy subjects has significant negative effects on cognitive performance, sleepiness and neurophysiologic functioning. These findings are highly relevant in modern society, with sleep loss increasingly common in the general population. The ramifications of reduced or disrupted sleep opportunities may extend beyond cognitive effects into general safety, health and well being.
Uncited reference
Muecke (2005).
Abbreviations
- EEG
electroencephalography
- ERPs
event-related potentials
- N1
negative polarity ERP with a peak of 100 ms
- P3
positive polarity ERP with a peak of 300 ms
- PVT
psychomotor vigilance test
- fMRI
functional magnetic resonance imaging
- MSLT
multiple sleep latency test
- MWT
maintenance of wakefulness test
- REM
rapid eye movement
Acknowledgements
Siobhan Banks is supported by a University of South Australia Research Fellowship for Women in Science. Amy Reynolds is supported by a University of South Australia Postgraduate Award.
References (84)
- et al.
How do prolonged wakefulness and alcohol compare in the decrements they produce on a simulated driving task?
Accident Analysis and Prevention
(2001) Performance and sleepiness following moderate sleep disruption and slow wave sleep deprivation
Physiology & Behavior
(1986)The effect of sleep fragmentation on sleep and performance in younger and older subjects
Neurobiology of Aging
(1989)Infrequent periodic sleep disruption: Effects on sleep, performance and mood
Physiology & Behavior
(1989)- et al.
Clinical effects of sleep fragmentation versus sleep deprivation
Sleep Medicine Reviews
(2003) - et al.
Effects of sleep deprivation on event-related fields and alpha activity during rhythmic force production
Neuroscience Letters
(2005) - et al.
The effects of total sleep deprivation on cerebral responses to cognitive performance
Neuropsychopharmacology
(2001) - et al.
The effects of slow-wave sleep (SWS) deprivation and time of night on behavioral performance upon awakening
Physiology & Behavior
(1999) - et al.
Dual electroencephalogram markers of human sleep homeostasis: Correlation between theta activity in waking and slow-wave activity in sleep
Neuroscience
(2000) - et al.
Event-related potentials and eyeblink responses in automatic and controlled processing: Effects of age
Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology
(1991)
Where arousal meets attention: A simultaneous fMRI and EEG recording study
Neuroimage
Sustained sleep restriction reduces emotional and physical well-being
Pain
One night of sleep loss impairs innovative thinking and flexible decision making
Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes
Sleep deprivation reduces perceived emotional intelligence and constructive thinking skills
Sleep Medicine
New neurons in the adult brain: The role of sleep and consequences of sleep loss
Sleep Medicine Reviews
Maintenance of wakefulness test: A polysomnographic technique for evaluation treatment efficacy in patients with excessive somnolence
Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology
The prefrontal cortex in sleep
Trends in Cognitive Sciences
Are spatial memories strengthened in the human hippocampus during slow wave sleep?
Neuron
Sleep restriction by forced activity reduces hippocampal cell proliferation
Brain Research
Hippocampal cell proliferation across the day: Increase by running wheel activity, but no effect of sleep and wakefulness
Behavioural Brain Research
Is the maintenance of wakefulness test sensitive to varying amounts of recovery sleep after chronic sleep restriction?
Sleep
Behavioral and physiological consequences of sleep restriction
Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine
Low levels of alcohol impair driving simulator performance and reduce perception of crash risk in partially sleep deprived subjects
Sleep
Neurobehavioral dynamics following chronic sleep restriction: Dose-response effects of one night for recovery
Sleep
Aircraft noise effects on sleep: Application of the results of a large polysomnographic field study
Journal of the Acoustical Society of America
Patterns of performance degradation and restoration during sleep restriction and subsequent recovery: A sleep dose-response study
Journal of Sleep Research
Effect of sleep disruption on sleep, performance, and mood
Sleep
Performance and sleepiness as a function of frequency and placement of sleep disruption
Psychophysiology
Sleep deprivation: Effect on sleep stages and EEG power density in man
Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology
Fatigue countermeasures in aviation
Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine
Cumulative effects of sleep restriction on daytime sleepiness
Psychophysiology
The multiple sleep latency test: What does it measure?
Sleep
Amplitude reduction in visual event-related potentials as a function of sleep deprivation
Sleep
Fatigue, alcohol and performance impairment
Nature
Effects of sleep disruption on cognitive performance and mood in medical house officers
British Medical Journal (Clinical Research Edition)
Performing while sleepy: Effects of experimentally induced sleepiness
Microcomputer analyses of performance on a portable, simple visual RT task during sustained operations
Behavior Research Methods, Instruments, & Computers
Cumulative sleepiness, mood disturbance, and psychomotor vigilance performance decrements during a week of sleep restricted to 4–5 h per night
Sleep
Chronic sleep deprivation
Sustained attention performance during sleep deprivation: Evidence of state instability
Archives Italiennes de Biologie (Pisa)
Simulated driving performance during chronic partial sleep deprivation
Sleep
Healthy older adults better tolerate sleep deprivation than young adults
Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
Cited by (132)
Beyond circadian timing: A new model of bedtime procrastination
2024, Sleep HealthRepetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in primary sleep disorders
2023, Sleep Medicine ReviewsThe differential effects of sleep deprivation on pain perception in individuals with or without chronic pain: A systematic review and meta-analysis
2022, Sleep Medicine ReviewsCitation Excerpt :Because different experimental SD interventions mimic different real-life situations, our results imply that some people may be at a higher risk of experiencing SD-related pain than others. For instance, total or partial SD mimics occupation-related (e.g., nurses, miners, or truckers) and recreation-related (e.g., prolonged or overnight online gaming) sleep restriction [57,58]. Selective SD or sleep fragmentation imitates specific sleep patterns of people with some clinical conditions (e.g., chronic pain or obstructive sleep apnea) [16,41,56,58].