Sleep Stage Deprivation and Total Sleep Loss: Effects On Sleep Behavior

ABSTRACT The combined effects of total sleep loss and the deprivation of stage 4 or stage REM were studied in I two separate experiments. Two full nights or sleep loss preceded stage 4 deprivation or stage REM deprivation in Experiment 1 (N=12); 1 full night of sleep loss followed 3 nights or stage 4 deprivation or stage REM deprivation in Experiment 2 (N=I4). Total sleep loss before sleep stage deprivation significantly increased the number of attempts to enter stage 4, but had little influence on stage REM. A significant REM rebound was found in only one of the REM‐deprived groups, but there was a significant stage 4 rebound in all groups on the first full recovery night, supporting the hypothesis from other studies that stage 4 has priority over REM in terms of recovery from sleep loss. The results suggested that stages 2, 3, and 4 partially overlap in their recuperative functions.