Sleep deprivation: Impact on cognitive performance
Open accessAbstract
Today, prolonged wakefulness is a widespread phenomenon. Nevertheless, in the field of sleep and wakefulness, several unanswered questions remain. Prolonged wakefulness can be due to acute total sleep deprivation (SD) or to chronic partial sleep restriction. Although the latter is more common in everyday life, the effects of total SD have been examined more thoroughly. Both total and partial SD induce adverse changes in cognitive performance. First and foremost, total SD impairs attention and working memory, but it also affects other functions, such as long-term memory and decision-making. Partial SD is found to influence attention, especially vigilance. Studies on its effects on more demanding cognitive functions are lacking. Coping with SD depends on several factors, especially aging and gender. Also interindividual differences in responses are substantial. In addition to coping with SD, recovering from it also deserves attention. Cognitive recovery processes, although insufficiently studied, seem to be more demanding in partial sleep restriction than in total SD.
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Well-controlled sleep deprivation studies have shown that lack of sleep increases fatigue and sleepiness and worsens cognitive performance.
“Well-controlled sleep deprivation studies have shown that lack of sleep not only increases fatigue and sleepiness but also worsens cognitive performance.2,3,16,17”
From Sleep quality, duration, and consistency are associated with better academic performance in college students (2019) · cites this paper as [16]
The ‘Chronic partial sleep restriction’ section says that well-controlled studies found greater cognitive impairment with less sleep. The review also discusses tiredness and sleepiness, but its narrative does not establish that those well-controlled studies demonstrated increases in both fatigue and sleepiness; that part of the claim is not fully supported by our copy. Page numbers were not available. (LLM, conf=0.79)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredSleep deprivation negatively affects attention, working memory, and learning.
“Sleep deprivation also negatively affects attention, working memory, and learning (Alhola and Polo-Kantola, 2007; Krause et al., 2017; Walker and Stickgold, 2006).”
From School start time delays and high school educational outcomes: Evidence from the START/LEARN study (2023) · cites this paper as Alhola and Polo-Kantola, 2007
Lack of sleep has been linked to poor attention and cognition.
“Beyond the effects of sleep on memory consolidation, lack of sleep has been linked to poor attention and cognition.”
From Sleep quality, duration, and consistency are associated with better academic performance in college students (2019) · cites this paper as [16]
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- Authors
- Alhola, P., & Polo-Kantola, P.
- Affiliations
- University of Turku (FI)
- Venue
- Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2007-11
- Volume
- Volume 3
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 553-567
- ISSN
- 1176-6328 (ISSN-L)
- 1178-2021
- PMC
- PMC2656292
- OpenAlex
- W1925423442
- Cited by
- 869
- References
- 14
- Citations by year
- 2026: 10 · 2025: 79 · 2024: 94 · 2023: 76 · 2022: 79 · 2021: 95 · 2020: 75 · 2019: 58 · 2018: 63 · 2017: 63 · 2016: 39 · 2015: 37 · 2014: 40 · 2013: 22 · 2012: 24
- FWCI
- 2.14
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Sleep and Work-Related Fatigue
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Sleep and Wakefulness Research
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Sleep and related disorders
- Keywords
- sleep deprivation, total sleep deprivation, cognitive performance, attention, working memory, sustained attention, long-term memory, decision-making, aging, gender differences, individual differences, cognitive recovery
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