Online assessment of sustained attention following sleep restriction

ObjectiveTo assess the feasibility of conducting home-based sleep restriction studies with actigraphic monitoring of sleep and a new online continuous performance test (OCPT).MethodsThirty-four university undergraduate students (24 females, 19–30 years old) underwent repeated home assessments using self-administered OCPT following a regular night of sleep (8 h or more) and following sleep restriction (4 h of sleep) in a within–between subjects counter-balanced design. Actigraphy was used to monitor sleep. OCPT sessions were scheduled in the morning and the evening of days following normal and restricted sleep.ResultsOCPT measures demonstrated acceptable test–retest reliability. Actigraphic monitoring revealed good compliance with sleep requirements, and reported alertness reflected significant effects of sleep manipulation (p < .0001). In comparison to performance following an 8-h sleep night, sleep restriction to 4 h was associated with a significant increase in omission errors in the high-target section of the test (p < .0005) and with a significant increase in omission errors in the low-target section of the test (p < .01).ConclusionsThese preliminary results support the feasibility of conducting home-based sleep restriction studies and the validity of the online version of the OCPT, suggesting that it may serve as a sensitive tool for assessment of sleep restriction/deprivation.