Page "Sleep debt" Paragraph 5

In one study, subjects were tested using the psychomotor vigilance task ( PVT ).

Different groups of people were tested with different sleep times for two weeks: 8 hours, 6 hours, 4 hours, and total sleep deprivation.

Each day they were tested for the number of lapses on the PVT.

The results showed that as time went by, each group's performance worsened, with no sign of any stopping point.

Moderate sleep deprivation was found to be detrimental ; people who slept 6 hours a night for 10 days had similar results to those who were completely sleep deprived for 1 day.