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Effects of sleep loss on waking actigraphy
1Henry Ford Hospital, Sleep Disorders and Research Center and Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, Wayne State University, School of Medicine, Detroit MI 48202, USA. TARoehrs@aol.com
Sleep
|September 28, 2000
Summary
Sleep restriction significantly reduces daytime alertness and increases inactivity, as measured by actigraphy. A sedating drug, diphenhydramine, also increased inactivity, similar to severe sleep loss.
Area of Science:
- Sleep Science
- Pharmacology
- Human Physiology
Background:
- Sleep loss is a common issue with significant impacts on daytime functioning.
- Understanding the objective measures of sleepiness and activity is crucial for assessing these impacts.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the impact of varying degrees of sleep restriction on objective measures of daytime alertness and activity.
- To compare the effects of a common sedating medication (diphenhydramine) with sleep restriction on these measures.
Main Methods:
- Healthy volunteers (19-35 yrs) underwent four conditions in a Latin Square Design: 8-hour, 4-hour, and 0-hour time-in-bed (TIB), plus diphenhydramine (50 mg) with 8-hour TIB.
- Daytime sleep latency was assessed using the Multiple Sleep Latency Test (MSLT).
- Actigraphy was used to measure daytime activity levels throughout the day.
Main Results:
- Reduced time-in-bed (TIB) significantly decreased daytime sleep latency and reduced overall daytime activity.
- Diphenhydramine (50 mg) also reduced sleep latency and increased inactivity, with effects on actigraphy similar to severe sleep restriction (0 hr TIB).
- The MSLT showed diphenhydramine's effect was intermediate between 4 hr and 0 hr TIB.
Conclusions:
- Both sleep restriction and diphenhydramine impair daytime alertness and increase inactivity.
- Differences in how diphenhydramine affected MSLT versus actigraphy suggest varying sensitivities of these measurement tools.