Sleep and Human Performance

This chapter discusses different ways in which human sleep and performance are interrelated. First there is a discussion of the role of sleepiness and performance decrements at the end of the waking day as messengers and sanctions by which a regular circadian patterning of sleep and wakefulness is encouraged. Next there is a discussion of performance decrements soon after awakening from sleep (sleep inertia), and the “post-lunch dip” in performance that can sometimes arise when the early afternoon (siesta) gate to sleep is open. There then follows a discussion of the effects on sleepiness and performance of total sleep deprivation (TSD), when one or more whole nights of sleep are missed, and chronic partial sleep deprivation (CPSD), when sleep is abbreviated for a week or more at a time. The chapter ends with a discussion of the practical real-life consequences of fatigue-related performance failures, particularly in transportation and medical care.