0262 THE ABILITY TO SELF-MONITOR PERFORMANCE DURING 60 HOURS OF TOTAL SLEEP DEPRIVATION AND FOLLOWING TWO NIGHTS RECOVERY

• Published in: Sleep (New York, N.Y.) N.Y.), 2017-04, Vol.40 (suppl_1), p.A96-A96
• Main Authors: Boardman, JM, Bei, B, Mellor, A, Anderson, C, Sletten, TL, Drummond, SP
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Accuracy; Sleep deprivation
• ISSN: 0161-8105; 1550-9109
• DOI: 10.1093/sleepj/zsx050.261

Abstract Introduction: The adverse cognitive consequences of total sleep deprivation (TSD) are well documented. The ability to accurately assess one’s current performance is critical in an operational context as it could have protective effects in reducing the negative consequences of sleep deprivation. However, few studies have investigated the ability of an individual to accurately self-monitor performance under conditions of sleep deprivation or following recovery. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate whether self-monitoring of performance is altered during 60 hours of TSD, following two nights of recovery sleep, and by task difficulty and/or subjective sleepiness. Methods: Forty healthy adults (18 females, aged 19–39 years) underwent a five day protocol, with a well-rested day, 66 hours of TSD (last test session at 60 hours), and two nights of 8-hour recovery sleep. An arithmetic task with three difficulty levels assessed working memory. The psychomotor vigilance task (PVT) assessed sustained attention. Arithmetic accuracy and PVT median reaction time measured objective performance. Subjective performance was measured with self-reported accuracy and self-assessed speed (relative to baseline). Objective-subjective differences assessed self-monitoring ability. Results: Performance on both tasks declined during TSD and improved following recovery. During TSD, participants overestimated their cognitive deficits on both tasks, self-reporting performance as worse than actually observed. Following recovery, participants overestimated the extent of performance improvement, but only on the PVT. Task difficulty influenced self-monitoring ability, with greater overestimation of performance deficits as task difficulty increased. Subjective sleepiness predicted subjective ratings of performance at several time points, but only for the PVT. Conclusion: Individuals have some ability to track cognitive performance, though the accuracy of self-monitoring is influenced by TSD and recovery. Findings suggest development of self-monitoring strategies for operational contexts may serve as a strategy for reducing the consequences of sleep-related impairments. Strategies should assess both subjective perceptions of performance and subjective sleepiness. Support (If Any): The US Department of the Army award DAMD17-02-1-0201.