Lack of Sleep Linked to Unperceived Cognitive Decline
People weren't able to "adjust" to lack of sleep, subjects showed decline in cognitive ability even though they reported not feeling a difference.
It always seems like there is so much to do, and so little time. One of the first things people sacrifice, in order to accomplish more, is sleep, not realizing their performance is affected especially long term. This study shows people also aren't adjusting to the lack of sleep finding their performances were steadily declining as time went on.
A study out of Brigham and Women's Hospital found cognitive declines not only in those who didn't sleep enough and were awake for too long, but also people who were awake for a "normal" amount of time. The participants of the study were asked about their perceived impairments, and there was no correlation found between restricted sleep and how they thought their performance was. Participants were studied for 32 days where one group was on restricted sleep equivalent to 5.5 hours a day, and another group was sleeping an equivalent to 8 hours a day. They then were asked if they thought they were impaired with most not noticing any decline, but when put through tests, those with restricted sleep performed worse than those who had adequate sleep. Researchers also found that there was a steady decline in performance over the 32 days, leading to the conclusion that our bodies never adjust to not getting enough sleep. To be at our best we need to get enough sleep every night, even if we feel okay studies show there is proof our performance is lacking.
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