Effects of six weeks of chronic sleep restriction with weekend recovery on cognitive performance and wellbeing in high-performing adults

Abstract Chronic sleep loss is associated with escalating declines in vigilant attention across days of sleep restriction. However, studies exceeding 2 weeks of chronic sleep loss are scarce, and the cognitive performance outcomes assessed are limited. We assessed the effects of 6 weeks of chronic sleep restriction on a range of cognitive domains in 15 high-performing individuals (38.5 ± 8.2 years, 6 women) confined to small space in groups of 4. Sleep opportunities were limited to 5 h on weekdays and 8 h on weekends. Individual sleep–wake patterns were recorded with actigraphy. Neurobehavioral performance was assessed in evenings with Cognition, a computerized battery of ten tests assessing a range of cognitive domains. There were some small to moderate effects of increasing sleep debt relative to pre-mission baseline, with decreases in accuracy across cognitive domains (standardized β = –0.121, p = 0.001), specifically on tests of spatial orientation (β = –0.289, p = 0.011) and vigilant attention (β = –0.688, p < 0.001), which were not restored by two nights of weekend recovery sleep. Cognitive and subjective decrements occurred despite occasional daytime napping in breach of study protocol, evening testing around the circadian peak, and access to caffeine before 14:00. Sensorimotor speed, spatial learning and memory, working memory, abstraction and mental flexibility, emotion identification, abstract reasoning, cognitive throughput, and risk decision making were not significantly affected by sleep debt. Taken together with modest lower subjective ratings of happiness and healthiness, these findings underline the importance of sufficient sleep, on both an acute and chronic basis, for performance in selected cognitive domains and subjective wellbeing in operationally relevant environments.

Download Full-text

Residual, differential neurobehavioral deficits linger after multiple recovery nights following chronic sleep restriction or acute total sleep deprivation

SLEEP ◽

10.1093/sleep/zsaa224 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Erika M Yamazaki ◽

Caroline A Antler ◽

Charlotte R Lasek ◽

Namni Goel

Keyword(s):

Sleep Deprivation ◽

Response Speed ◽

Sleep Loss ◽

Sleep Restriction ◽

Total Sleep Deprivation ◽

Psychomotor Vigilance Test ◽

Recovery Sleep ◽

Time In Bed ◽

Neurobehavioral Deficits ◽

Chronic Sleep

Abstract Study Objectives The amount of recovery sleep needed to fully restore well-established neurobehavioral deficits from sleep loss remains unknown, as does whether the recovery pattern differs across measures after total sleep deprivation (TSD) and chronic sleep restriction (SR). Methods In total, 83 adults received two baseline nights (10–12-hour time in bed [TIB]) followed by five 4-hour TIB SR nights or 36-hour TSD and four recovery nights (R1–R4; 12-hour TIB). Neurobehavioral tests were completed every 2 hours during wakefulness and a Maintenance of Wakefulness Test measured physiological sleepiness. Polysomnography was collected on B2, R1, and R4 nights. Results TSD and SR produced significant deficits in cognitive performance, increases in self-reported sleepiness and fatigue, decreases in vigor, and increases in physiological sleepiness. Neurobehavioral recovery from SR occurred after R1 and was maintained for all measures except Psychomotor Vigilance Test (PVT) lapses and response speed, which failed to completely recover. Neurobehavioral recovery from TSD occurred after R1 and was maintained for all cognitive and self-reported measures, except for vigor. After TSD and SR, R1 recovery sleep was longer and of higher efficiency and better quality than R4 recovery sleep. Conclusions PVT impairments from SR failed to reverse completely; by contrast, vigor did not recover after TSD; all other deficits were reversed after sleep loss. These results suggest that TSD and SR induce sustained, differential biological, physiological, and/or neural changes, which remarkably are not reversed with chronic, long-duration recovery sleep. Our findings have critical implications for the population at large and for military and health professionals.

Download Full-text

Are prolonged sitting and sleep restriction a dual curse for the modern workforce? a randomised controlled trial protocol

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2020-040613 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (7) ◽

pp. e040613

Author(s):

Grace E Vincent ◽

Charlotte C Gupta ◽

Madeline Sprajcer ◽

Corneel Vandelanotte ◽

Mitch J Duncan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Performance ◽

Performance Outcomes ◽

Circadian Disruption ◽

Sleep Restriction ◽

Cardiometabolic Health ◽

Prolonged Sitting ◽

Recovery Sleep ◽

Work Shifts ◽

The Impact ◽

Inadequate Sleep

IntroductionProlonged sitting and inadequate sleep are a growing concern in society and are associated with impairments to cardiometabolic health and cognitive performance. However, the combined effect of prolonged sitting and inadequate sleep on measures of health and cognitive performance are unknown. In addition, the circadian disruption caused by shiftwork may further impact workers’ cardiometabolic health and cognitive performance. This protocol paper outlines the methodology for exploring the impact of simultaneous exposure to prolonged sitting, sleep restriction and circadian disruption on cardiometabolic and cognitive performance outcomes.Methods and analysisThis between-subjects study will recruit 208 males and females to complete a 7-day in-laboratory experimental protocol (1 Adaptation Day, 5 Experimental Days and 1 Recovery Day). Participants will be allocated to one of eight conditions that include all possible combinations of the following: dayshift or nightshift, sitting or breaking up sitting and 5 hour or 9 hour sleep opportunity. On arrival to the laboratory, participants will be provided with a 9 hour baseline sleep opportunity (22:00 to 07:00) and complete five simulated work shifts (09:00 to 17:30 in the dayshift condition and 22:00 to 06:30 in the nightshift condition) followed by a 9 hour recovery sleep opportunity (22:00 to 07:00). During the work shifts participants in the sitting condition will remain seated, while participants in the breaking up sitting condition will complete 3-min bouts of light-intensity walking every 30 mins on a motorised treadmill. Sleep opportunities will be 9 hour or 5 hour. Primary outcome measures include continuously measured interstitial blood glucose, heart rate and blood pressure, and a cognitive performance and self-perceived capacity testing battery completed five times per shift. Analyses will be conducted using linear mixed models.Ethics and disseminationThe CQUniversity Human Ethics Committee has approved this study (0000021914). All participants who have already completed the protocol have provided informed consent. Study findings will be disseminated via scientific publications and conference presentations.Trial registration detailsThis study has been registered on Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (12619001516178) and is currently in the pre-results stage.

Download Full-text

137 Recovery Dynamics in a Biomathematical Model of Fatigue

SLEEP ◽

10.1093/sleep/zsab072.136 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 44 (Supplement_2) ◽

pp. A56-A56

Author(s):

Mark McCauley ◽

Peter McCauley ◽

Hans Van Dongen

Keyword(s):

Sleep Deprivation ◽

Goodness Of Fit ◽

Sleep Loss ◽

Sleep Restriction ◽

Commercial Aviation ◽

Circadian Misalignment ◽

Total Sleep Deprivation ◽

Homeostatic Process ◽

Recovery Sleep

Abstract Introduction In commercial aviation and other operational settings where biomathematical models of fatigue are used for fatigue risk management, accurate prediction of recovery during rest periods following duty periods with sleep loss and/or circadian misalignment is critical. The recuperative potential of recovery sleep is influenced by a variety of factors, including long-term, allostatic effects of prior sleep/wake history. For example, recovery tends to be slower after sustained sleep restriction versus acute total sleep deprivation. Capturing such dynamics has proven to be challenging. Methods Here we focus on the dynamic biomathematical model of McCauley et al. (2013). In addition to a circadian process, this model features differential equations for sleep/wake regulation including a short-term sleep homeostatic process capturing change in the order of hours/days and a long-term allostatic process capturing change in the order of days/weeks. The allostatic process modulates the dynamics of the homeostatic process by shifting its equilibrium setpoint, which addresses recently observed phenomena such as reduced vulnerability to sleep loss after banking sleep. It also differentiates the build-up and recovery rates of fatigue under conditions of chronic sleep restriction versus acute total sleep deprivation; nonetheless, it does not accurately predict the disproportionately rapid recovery seen after total sleep deprivation. To improve the model, we hypothesized that the homeostatic process may also modulate the allostatic process, with the magnitude of this effect scaling as a function of time awake. Results To test our hypothesis, we added a parameter to the model to capture modulation by the homeostatic process of the allostatic process build-up during wakefulness and dissipation during sleep. Parameter estimation using previously published laboratory datasets of fatigue showed this parameter as significantly different from zero (p<0.05) and yielding a 10%–20% improvement in goodness-of-fit for recovery without adversely affecting goodness-of-fit for pre-recovery days. Conclusion Inclusion of a modulation effect of the allostatic process by the homeostatic process improved prediction accuracy in a variety of sleep loss and circadian misalignment scenarios. In addition to operational relevance for duty/rest scheduling, this finding has implications for understanding mechanisms underlying the homeostatic and allostatic processes of sleep/wake regulation. Support (if any) Federal Express Corporation

Download Full-text

Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Brain Bioenergetics, Sleep, and Cognitive Performance in Cocaine-Dependent Individuals

The Scientific World JOURNAL ◽

10.1155/2013/947879 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 2013 ◽

pp. 1-10 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

George H. Trksak ◽

Bethany K. Bracken ◽

J. Eric Jensen ◽

David T. Plante ◽

David M. Penetar ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sleep Deprivation ◽

Cognitive Performance ◽

Sleep Loss ◽

Continuous Performance ◽

Digit Symbol ◽

Continuous Performance Task ◽

Performance Task ◽

Recovery Sleep ◽

Symbol Substitution ◽

Healthy Control

In cocaine-dependent individuals, sleep is disturbed during cocaine use and abstinence, highlighting the importance of examining the behavioral and homeostatic response to acute sleep loss in these individuals. The current study was designed to identify a differential effect of sleep deprivation on brain bioenergetics, cognitive performance, and sleep between cocaine-dependent and healthy control participants. 14 healthy control and 8 cocaine-dependent participants experienced consecutive nights of baseline, total sleep deprivation, and recovery sleep in the research laboratory. Participants underwent[31]P magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) brain imaging, polysomnography, Continuous Performance Task, and Digit Symbol Substitution Task. Following recovery sleep,[31]P MRS scans revealed that cocaine-dependent participants exhibited elevated global brainβ-NTP (direct measure of adenosine triphosphate),α-NTP, and total NTP levels compared to those of healthy controls. Cocaine-dependent participants performed worse on the Continuous Performance Task and Digit Symbol Substitution Task at baseline compared to healthy control participants, but sleep deprivation did not worsen cognitive performance in either group. Enhancements of brain ATP levels in cocaine dependent participants following recovery sleep may reflect a greater impact of sleep deprivation on sleep homeostasis, which may highlight the importance of monitoring sleep during abstinence and the potential influence of sleep loss in drug relapse.

Download Full-text

0206 THE EFFECT OF SLEEP INERTIA AND CHRONIC SLEEP RESTRICTION ON HUMAN COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE

SLEEP ◽

10.1093/sleepj/zsx050.205 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 40 (suppl_1) ◽

pp. A76-A77

Author(s):

AW McHill ◽

JT Hull ◽

CA Czeisler ◽

EB Klerman

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Performance ◽

Sleep Restriction ◽

Sleep Inertia ◽

Chronic Sleep

Download Full-text

Chronic sleep restriction increases soluble hippocampal Aβ-42 and impairs cognitive performance

Physiology & Behavior ◽

10.1016/j.physbeh.2020.113128 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 226 ◽

pp. 113128

Author(s):

Kelly N. Brice ◽

Christopher W. Hagen ◽

Julia L. Peterman ◽

John W. Figg ◽

Paige N. Braden ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Performance ◽

Sleep Restriction ◽

Chronic Sleep

Download Full-text

Effects of Cumulative Sleep Loss and Two Nights' Recovery Sleep on Multiple-Task Performance

Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting ◽

10.1177/154193120705100405 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 51 (4) ◽

pp. 166-170

Author(s):

Marja-Leena Haavisto ◽

Jussi Virkkala ◽

Mikko Härmä ◽

Kiti Müller ◽

Tarja Porkka-Heiskanen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Task Performance ◽

Cognitive Processing ◽

Baseline Level ◽

Recovery Period ◽

Sleep Loss ◽

Sleep Restriction ◽

Control Group ◽

Working Environments ◽

Recovery Sleep ◽

Multiple Task

The present study investigated the effects of five days' cumulative sleep restriction and two nights' recovery sleep on multiple-task performance and subjective sleepiness in a controlled laboratory environment. A total of 21 volunteers participated, thirteen in the experimental group and eight in the control group. Compared to the control group, the sleepiness of the sleep-loss group gradually increased over the five days, but returned to the baseline level after an eight hour recovery sleep period. Multiple-task performance declined selectively in the memory, arithmetic and auditory subtasks, while visual monitoring results were not affected. After the eight hour recovery period, the performance of the sleep-restricted participants in the auditory subtask remained low, although the individuals themselves no longer reported sleepiness. Performance in the rest of the tasks returned to the baseline level. Thus the partial cumulative sleep loss selectively impaired cognitive performance in subtasks of a multiple-task environment, which simulated many ordinary working environments. This may be due to the slowing of the cognitive processing during sleep restriction, as well as decline in attention control.

Download Full-text

0302 One Week of Recovery Sleep is Insufficient to Restore Sustained Attention Performance Following Three Weeks of Chronic Sleep Restriction

SLEEP ◽

10.1093/sleep/zsaa056.299 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 43 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. A114-A114

Author(s):

R K Yuan ◽

K Zitting ◽

N Vujovic ◽

W Wang ◽

O Buxton ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sustained Attention ◽

Time Course ◽

Reaction Times ◽

Healthy Adults ◽

Sleep Restriction ◽

Science Center ◽

Neurobehavioral Performance ◽

Recovery Sleep ◽

Time In Bed ◽

Chronic Sleep

Abstract Introduction Sleep loss negatively impacts many aspects of neurobehavioral performance, including sustained attention and reaction times. However, the time course of recovery from chronic sleep restriction (CSR) is not well understood. To explore this, we assessed the effects of 3 weeks of CSR followed by 1 week of recovery on psychomotor vigilance task (PVT) performance in healthy adults. Methods 8 healthy adults (27–71; 4f) participated in a 37-day inpatient study. The study consisted of 6 baseline (BL) days with 8–16 h time-in-bed, followed by 3 weeks of CSR (5-5.6h time-in-bed at night), and 1 week of recovery (RC; 8-10h time-in-bed). Sustained attention was assessed by 10-minute visual PVTs administered every 2h starting ~5h after wake (~4/day). Linear and generalized linear mixed models were used to compare average reaction times (RT) and number of lapses, respectively, from the last 3 days of baseline, CSR, and recovery. Results Average RT was almost twice as long at the end of CSR compared to baseline (p<0.0001). Moreover, it remained significantly slower than baseline by roughly 173ms, even after 1 week of recovery (p<0.0001). Similarly, there was a threefold increase in the number of lapses at the end of CSR compared to baseline (p<0.0001) which remained elevated after one week of recovery (p<0.0001). Conclusion One week of recovery sleep of 8-10 h/night following 3 weeks of chronic sleep restriction was insufficient for full recovery of sustained attention as assessed by PVT reaction time and number of lapses. This suggests that chronic sleep restriction has consequences on neurobehavioral performance that do not fully dissipate within one week. Support Study supported by P01AG009975 and conducted in the Brigham and Women’s Hospital Center for Clinical Investigation, part of Harvard Clinical and Translational Science Center supported by UL1TR001102. KMZ supported by a fellowship from the Finnish Cultural Foundation. RKY supported by T32HL007901 and F32HL143893. NV supported by T32HL007901 and F32AG051325.

Download Full-text

Observing changes in human functioning during induced sleep deficiency and recovery periods

10.1101/690313 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Jeremi K. Ochab ◽

Jerzy Szwed ◽

Katarzyna Oleś ◽

Anna Bereś ◽

Dante R. Chialvo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Stroop Task ◽

Human Performance ◽

Reaction Times ◽

Event Related Potentials ◽

Sleep Loss ◽

Sleep Restriction ◽

Partial Recovery ◽

Recovery Sleep ◽

Related Potentials ◽

The Impact

ABSTRACTThe duration of sleep, wakefulness and dynamic changes in human performance are determined by neural and genetic mechanisms. Sleep deprivation and chronic restriction of sleep cause perturbations of circadian rhythmicity and degradation of waking alertness as reflected in attention, cognitive efficiency and memory. In this work we report on multiple neurobehavioral correlates of sleep loss in healthy adults in an unprecedented study comprising 21 consecutive days divided into periods of 4 days of regular life (a baseline), 10 days of chronic partial sleep restriction and 7 days of recovery. Throughout the whole experiment we continuously measured the spontaneous locomotor activity by means of actigraphy with 1-minute resolution in two acquisition modes (frequency and intensity of movement). Moreover, on daily basis the subjects were undergoing EEG measurements (64-electrodes with 500 Hz sampling frequency): resting state with eyes open and closed (RS; 8 minutes long each) followed by Stroop task (ST; 22 minutes). Altogether we analyzed actigraphy (distributions of rest and activity durations), behavioral measures (accuracy and reaction times from Stroop task) and EEG (amplitudes, latencies and scalp maps of event-related potentials from Stroop task and power spectra from resting states). The actigraphy measures clearly indicate rapid changes after sleep restriction onset, confirming our former investigations — the novel insight is a slow and incomplete relaxation to the original locomotor behavior. The pattern of partial recovery appears also in accuracy (in ST) and power of delta rhythm (in RS). The impact of sleep loss is also evident in reaction times (in ST), yet followed by complete recovery, and finally in ERP amplitudes and latencies, which however did not return to the baseline at all. The results indicate that short periods (a few days) of recovery sleep subsequent to prolonged periods of sleep restriction are overall insufficient to recover fully.

Download Full-text