Sleep Loss Effects on Movement Time

Abstract

Subjects were tosted on a subject-paced step-tracking task three times every four hours under both of two regimes: one in which they slept for 6:30 hours at night and one in which they remained awake. 12 subjects were tested for two days under each condition, and 8 subjects for three days. Reaction times for correct responses increased following sleep loss to an oxtont inversely related to signal probability. Movement times increased following sleep loss to a much greater extent. It is concluded that movement time is a more sensitive index of performance deterioration due to sleep loss and that movoment time and reaction time represent separate processes.