Association between short-term sleep duration and cognitive performance: inhibitory control, problem solving, working memory, and idea generation rate

Sleep is essential for optimal cognitive function, but limited research has examined how sleep duration relates simultaneously to multiple executive function domains. This study examined associations between sleep duration and four cognitive domains: inhibitory control, problem solving, working memory, and idea generation rate. A sample of 169 United States adults (female = 61.9%, male = 19.6%, non-binary = 6.21%; Asian = 9.15%, Black = 6.33%, Latiné = 8.45%, White = 71.83%, Mage = 23.85, SD = 8.37) completed an online study consisting of cognitive tests and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Cognitive performance was assessed using the incongruent Stroop Test, Tower of Hanoi, Digit Span Memory Test, and Alternative Uses Task. A small but statistically significant negative association was found between sleep duration over the past two weeks and idea generation rate, such that participants who slept less generated more ideas (β = −.49, p < .05, partial R² = .02). Sleep duration was also negatively associated with problem solving, positively associated with working memory, and negatively associated with inhibitory control, although these associations were not significant. Among the four cognitive domains examined, only idea generation rate showed a statistically significant association with sleep duration, with the effect size being small.