Premium
Effect of Varying the Time of Sleep on Sleep, Vigilance, and Self‐Rated Activation
Author(s) -
Cairns J.,
Knowles J. B.,
MacLean A. W.
Publication year - 1982
Publication title -
psychophysiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.661
H-Index - 156
eISSN - 1469-8986
pISSN - 0048-5772
DOI - 10.1111/j.1469-8986.1982.tb02513.x
Subject(s) - vigilance (psychology) , psychology , evening , circadian rhythm , sleep (system call) , audiology , sleep deprivation , non rapid eye movement sleep , sleep onset , developmental psychology , insomnia , electroencephalography , medicine , psychiatry , cognitive psychology , neuroscience , physics , astronomy , computer science , operating system
The effect of varying the time of sleep (2100‐0500, 2400‐0800, and 0300‐1100 hrs) on the sleep, vigilance, and self‐rated activation of 9 normal subjects was assessed. REM% increased, and Stage 2% decreased, with progressively later bedtimes. An hour by hour analysis showed, however, that the increase in REM sleep was confined to the second 3 hrs of sleep. Vigilance and self‐rated activation, assessed 30 min after waking, at midday and in the early evening, did not differ between conditions but varied reliably with time of day. It is concluded that shifts away from the conventional 2400‐0800 sleep period do not impair performance. Rather, the changes in sleep (between conditions) and performance (within conditions) are, in the main, consistent with the known circadian rhythms of REM sleep propensity and performance efficiency.