Sleep disorders and attention: a systematic review

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Psychology

Background:

• Sleep is a crucial physiological state impacting overall brain function.
• Sleep deprivation affects various brain regions, but its specific impact on attention requires further investigation.
• Understanding the correlation between sleep disorders and attention is vital for neurological health.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review the existing literature on the relationship between sleep disorders and attentional performance.
• To identify specific types of attention most affected by sleep disturbances.

Main Methods:

• A systematic review of articles published in the last 10 years from PubMed, SciELO, and Cochrane databases.
• Keywords used included 'sleep,' 'attention,' and 'attentional performance.'
• Inclusion criteria focused on studies utilizing attention tests and diagnosing sleep disorders; 15 articles were selected from 1398 initial findings.

Main Results:

• While research on sleep and sleep disorders is growing, it remains limited.
• Individuals with sleep disorders consistently demonstrate poorer performance on attention tasks, especially sustained attention.
• Further investigation is warranted due to the heterogeneity of sleep disorders, small study sample sizes, and varied use of standardized tests.

Conclusions:

• A significant correlation exists between sleep and attention, though the extent of this relationship is not fully elucidated.
• Limited research specifically addresses how sleep disorders interfere with attentional capacities.