The Effects of Perceptual Deprivation on Sleep in Human Subjects

Abstract

<p>Eight human subjects underwent perceptual deprivation for either four or seven days. In addition, they slept in the laboratory for three nights before and three nights after the deprivation period. Continuous recordings of the electro-encephalogram, electro-oculogram, and electromyogram were made during these nights and during deprivation. The amounts of time spent in the awake state and in the various sleep stages were ascertained by the method of Dement and Kleitman (1957). Subjects slept much more than usual in early deprivation, but gradually returned to normal by about day four. The effects of deprivation on the various sleep stages are described and the implications of these for theories of sleep and sensory deprivation are discussed.</p>