Key result
Sleep restriction to less than 3 hours per night for 7 days significantly prolonged visual reaction time (715 ms vs 465 ms) and auditory reaction time compared to normal sleep in night watchmen.
Why the study?
Does restricted sleep impair mental attention and reaction time in night watchmen?
RCT (n=50)
Randomized
No
Does restricted sleep impair mental attention and reaction time in night watchmen?
Absolute Event Rate: 715% vs 465%
p-value: p=≤0.05
Sleep restriction to ≤ 3 hours per night significantly impairs mental attention and reaction times after 4 days in night shift workers.
Sleep restriction may prolong reaction times in night watchmen; leaves open whether sleep interventions improve occupational safety.
Sleepiness is the condition where for some reason fails to go into a sleep state and will have difficulty in remaining awake even while carrying out activities. Sleep restriction occurs when an individual fails to get enough sleep due to high work demands. The mechanism between sleep restriction and underlying brain physiology deficits is not well assumed. The objective of the present study was to investigate the mental attention (P300) and reaction time [visual (VRT) and auditory (ART)] among night watchmen, at subsequent; first (1st) day, fourth (4th) day and seventh (7th) day of restricted sleep period. After exclusion and inclusion criteria, the study was performed among 50 watchmen (age=18–35 years) (n=50) after providing written informed consent and divided into two group. Group I-(Normal sleep) (n=28) working in day time and used to have normal sleep in night ( ≥ 8 h); Group II-(Restricted sleep) (n=22) working in night time and used to have less sleep in night ( ≤ 3 h). Statistical significance between the different groups was determined by the independent student ‘t’ test and the significance level was fixed at p ≤ 0.05. We observed that among all normal and restricted sleep watchmen there was not any significant variation in Karolinska Sleepiness Scale (KSS) score, VRT and ART, along with latency and amplitude of P300 on 1st day of restricted sleep. However at subsequent on 4th day and 7th day of restricted sleep, there was significant increase in (KSS)score, and prolongation of VRT and ART as well as alteration in latency and amplitude of P300 wave in restricted sleep watchmen when compare to normal sleep watchmen. The present finding concludes that loss of sleep has major impact in dynamic change in mental attention and reaction time among watchmen employed in night shift. Professional regulations and work schedules should integrate sleep schedules before and during the work period as an essential dimension for their healthy life.
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Choudhary et al. (2016) conducted an RCT in Healthy watchmen (n=50). Sleep restriction vs. Normal sleep (≥8 hours/night) was evaluated on Visual reaction time (VRT) on 7th day (p=≤0.05). Sleep restriction to less than 3 hours per night for 7 days significantly prolonged visual reaction time (715 ms vs 465 ms) and auditory reaction time compared to normal sleep in night watchmen.
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