One Night of Sleep Restriction Significantly Impairs Next-Day Cognitive Function
How Much Does Just One Night of Poor Sleep Affect Your Cognitive Performance?
One night of sleep restriction to 4 hours significantly impairs cognitive function the following day, with research showing increased sleepiness, slower reaction times, reduced attention span, and impaired working memory performance. The effects are immediate and substantial, demonstrating that even a single night of inadequate sleep can compromise your brain’s ability to function optimally. Participants showed 25-40% decrements in various cognitive tasks after just one night of restricted sleep, highlighting how quickly sleep debt accumulates and affects mental performance.