Failure to obtain the recommended 7–9 h of sleep has been associated with injuries in youth and adults. However, most research on the influence of prior night’s sleep and gait has been conducted on older adults and clinical populations. Therefore, the objective of this study was to identify individuals who experience partial sleep deprivation and/or sleep extension the prior night using single task gait. Participants (n = 123, age 24.3 ± 4.0 years; 65% female) agreed to participate in this study. Self-reported sleep duration of the night prior to testing was collected. Gait data was collected with inertial sensors during a 2 min walk test. Group differences (<7 h and >9 h, poor sleepers; 7–9 h, good sleepers) in gait characteristics were assessed using machine learning and a post-hoc ANCOVA. Results indicated a correlation (r = 0.79) between gait parameters and prior night’s sleep. The most accurate machine learning model was a Random Forest Classifier using the top 9 features, which had a mean accuracy of 65.03%. Our findings suggest that good sleepers had more asymmetrical gait patterns and were better at maintaining gait speed than poor sleepers. Further research with larger subject sizes is needed to develop more accurate machine learning models to identify prior night’s sleep using single-task gait.

Obtaining sufficient sleep is beneficial for numerous aspects of health. Despite current sleep recommendations, acute disruptions in sleep duration are inevitable for most. While extreme sleep deprivation impairs motor control and coordination of movement, sleep extension also impacts these same parameters. Prior research suggests that acute changes in sleep duration may affect gait, however, limited research exists in healthy adults. Moreover, the effects of sleep extension on gait in healthy adults are unknown. PURPOSE: To investigate the influence of prior night's sleep on single-task gait in young, healthy adults between the ages of 18 to 36. METHODS: 97 participants (age 24.3±4.0 years; height 173.6±8.6 cm; mass 75.1±15.4 kg, 65% female) completed the study. Using self-reported measures, prior night's sleep was calculated by substracting time they went to sleep from the time they woke up and the number of minutes they were up in the middle of the night. Gait data was collected using bodyworn interial sensors during a 2-minute walk test on a 6m track. Group differences (<7 hrs, 7 to 9 hrs, >9 hrs) in gait variables were assessed with an ANCOVA that included sex, age, height and weight as covariates. A backward logistic regression was used to predict whether participants obtained the recommended 7 to 9 hours of sleep the prior night based on gait variables. RESULTS: A significant main effect of prior night sleep was observed on cadence asymmetry (F2,90=4.493, p=.014, η 2 =.092, β=.755), double leg support time (F2,90=3.507, p=.034, η 2 =.073, β=.641), foot strike angle (F2,90=4.185, p=.018, η 2 =.085, β=.723), asymmetry of toe out angles (F2,90=5.665, p=.005, η 2 =.112, β=.851) and lumbar spine transverse plane rotation (F2,90=7.483, p=.001, η 2 =.144, β=.936). The logistic regression model (χ2(10)=54.375, p<.001) had an overall correct classification percentage of 83.5%. CONCLUSIONS: Disturbance in prior night sleep appears to result in small changes in several gait variables. Those who slept more than 9 hours appear to have adopted a faster cadence while those with less than 7 hours had few changes in the lower extremities but had greater trunk rotation. Our results suggest that gait can be predictive of prior night's sleep duration. Future research should incorporate objective measures of sleep.