Study of the Incidence and Impact of Chronic Sleep Deprivation in Indian Population with Special Emphasis on Neuropsychology Testing

Abstract

The present study assesses the effect of such chronic sleep deprivation on brain functioning with special emphasis on frontal lobe functions. Chronic sleep deprivation is common in the modern society. Deficits in daytime performance due to sleep loss are experienced universally and associated with significant social, financial, and human cost. The objective way to assess effect of chronic sleep deprivation on various brain functions such as sustained attention, planning, and memory is to conduct the neuropsychology test battery. The general public was recruited as volunteers. Volunteers were asked to wear Actiwatch and/to fill sleep diary for 7 consecutive days. The neuropsychology test battery utilized included psychomotor vigilance task, forward digit span, Iowa gambling task, tower of London, Wisconsin card sorting test, Stroop, and Rey auditory verbal learning test. Results show that chronic sleep deprivation has the most significant effect on the younger generation as compared to older adults. There was no significant effect on the elderly population. Future large cohort studies are underway to substantiate the findings of this study.

Effect of Virtual Reality on Sleep-Deprived Individuals

“… 4 Around 64% of India’s urban population wakes up before 7 a.m., and 61% sleeps <7 h a day. 5 Low-quality sleep can affect academic performance, autonomic function, the immune system, cognitive functioning, mood, fatigue, and confusion levels. 3 , 6 , 7 College students experience many sleep problems that can affect their academic performance, health, and mood.…”