Cumulative Effects of Sleep Restriction on Daytime Sleepiness

Abstract

Sleep and daytime sleepiness were evaluated in 10 young adult subjects to determine whether restricting nocturnal step by a constant amount produces cumulative impairment. Subjects were studied for 12 consecutive days, including 3 baseline days with a 10‐hr time in bed, 7 days with sleep restricted to 5 hrs, and 2 recovery days. In 5 subjects, recovery included a 10‐hr time in bed; in the remaining subject, recovery induced a 5‐hr time in bed with a 1‐hr daytime nap. Sleepiness was measured using two self‐rating scales and the multiple sleep latency test. During sleep restriction, nocturnal stage 2 and REM sleep were reduced and slow wave sleep was unaffected. Stanford Sleepiness Scales showed an immediate increase in daytime sleepiness that reached a plateau after 4 days. An analog sleepiness rating scale showed increased sleepiness after 2 restricted nights and leveled off after the fourth restricted night. The multiple sleep latency tests showed no effect of sleep restriction until the second day, followed by a progressive increase in sleepiness that persisted through the seventh sleep restriction day. During the recovery period, daytime sleepiness returned to basal values on all three measures following one full night of sleep; with a daytime nap, no further cumulative effects of sleep restriction were seen.