Identifying signatures of alertness and cognitive failure during sleep deprivation

The wake maintenance zone is a time when the body clock promotes wakefulness. This thesis examined the effect of the wake maintenance zone on cognition and alertness during sleep deprivation. We found that performance on simple tasks was impaired by sleep deprivation, but the wake maintenance zone counteracted the effects of 40 hours sleep deprivation on more complex tasks. This research may help shift workers experiencing sleep loss to schedule complex tasks that need to be performed safely.