Shorter self-reported sleep duration is associated with worse virtual spatial navigation performance in men

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Sleep Science

Background:

• Sleep significantly influences cognitive functions, including spatial navigation.
• The independent impact of various sleep parameters on navigation and potential gender differences remain under-explored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the independent associations between self-reported sleep variables (duration, quality, daytime sleepiness, napping) and spatial navigation performance.
• To examine potential gender-specific relationships between sleep and wayfinding ability.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the mobile game Sea Hero Quest (SHQ) to assess wayfinding ability in 766 US-based participants (335 men, 431 women).
• Employed multiple linear regression to analyze the relationship between self-reported typical sleep patterns and SHQ performance.
• Excluded non-typical sleepers (less than 6 or more than 9 hours of sleep) for a secondary analysis.

Main Results:

• Shorter self-reported sleep duration was significantly associated with worse wayfinding performance, but only in men.
• No significant associations were found for sleep quality, daytime sleepiness, or nap frequency/duration.
• The significant link between sleep duration and navigation in men was absent when excluding non-typical sleepers.

Conclusions:

• Self-reported sleep duration may be a relevant factor for spatial navigation performance in men.
• The findings highlight a potential gender-specific relationship between sleep duration and navigation, particularly among typical sleepers.