Besides the connection between inadequate sleep and a number of major health problems, there is substantial scientific evidence that sleep deprivation affects cognition and motor performance. A recent study showed that people who were awake for up to 19 hours scored substantially worse on performance tests and alertness scales than those with a blood-alcohol level of .08 – the definition of being legally drunk.
Some other studies have found:
– After one night of total sleep deprivation, subjects scored significantly lower on tests of judgment, simple reaction time, explicit recall, and inverse words reading
– Free recall is sensitive to 24 hours of total sleep deprivation
– Daytime alertness and memory are impaired by the loss of eight hours of sleep, especially when there is a marked drop in sleep over a few nights
– Getting three, five or seven hours of sleep a night for seven consecutive nights can significantly impair alertness and motor performance