While sleep deprivation clearly affects performance, it seems to get worse the longer your competition is from what little sleep you received. The earliest scientific evidence of a link between sleep and performance dates back to the early 1930’s, when Nathaniel Kleitman, one of most significant figures in the field of sleep medicine, discovered a daily pattern in the speed and accuracy of cognitive performance. SLEEP EXTENSION. Sleep Deprivation Statistics. Across the board, there appears to be evidence that sleep deprivation should be avoided, as it has a profound impact on several important elements of athletic performance. Sleep deprivation is comparable to excessive drinking. It included a study of sleep deprivation on nine healthy individuals by applying pre and post sleep deficiency attention test. [1] This level of deprivation would impair speech, balance, coordination and mental judgment. SLEEP, SLEEP DEPRIVATION, AND PERFORMANCE The Ability to Self-Monitor Performance During a Week of Simulated Night Shifts Jillian Dorrian, PhD; Nicole Lamond, PhD; Alexandra L. Holmes, PhD; Helen J. Burgess, PhD; Gregory D. Roach, PhD; Adam Fletcher, PhD; Drew Dawson, PhD The Centre for Sleep Research, The University of South Australia Study Objectives: Research has indicated that … Fatigue therefore seems more an indicator of age‐related performance decrement instead than an absolute marker of performance. Introduction: Sleep deprivation and altered circadian rhythm affects the cognitive performance of an individual. Not sleeping for 24 hours was equivalent to a toxicity level of 0.10 percent. Under sleep deprivation young subjects express a much higher degree of fatigue than older ones even if young subjects maintain a better absolute performance (number of lapses). How Sleep Deprivation Affects Mental Performance. 40% of people age 40 to 59 reported that they are getting less than recommended amounts of sleep. Quality of sleep is compromised in those who are frequently involved in extended working hours and shift work which is found to be more common among nurses. In 1942, Americans had 7.9 hours on average hours per night compared to 6.8 hours in 2013, which is a 13% decrease. The next figure (see figure -- Degradation in Cognitive Performance in Sleep Deprivation with and without 30-Minute Daily Nap) shows a comparison of the regression lines from 72 hours of total sleep deprivation and 85 hours of sleep deprivation with a 30 minute nap each day. A sleep deprivation study found that not sleeping for 17 hours impaired a person's motor skills to an extent equivalent to having an alcohol toxicity of 0.05 percent. Researchers concluded that acute sleep deprivation causes mood swings and long-term chronic sleep deficiency affects concentration and performance at work. [6] Gallup News. Results of our analysis of 143 study coefficients and a total sample size of 1.932 suggest that overall sleep deprivation strongly impairs human functioning. From an athletic performance perspective, the authors suggest that napping is of potential benefit to athletes during training and in a competitive environment, especially in athletes experiencing sleep deprivation.