Physiological responses of men during sleep deprivation.

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Abstract
The effects of 84-86 hr. of sleep deprivation were examined in a group of 6 young men and compared with a group of 6 controls. Subjects were studied in pairs, 1 sleep deprived and 1 control. Primary attention was given to the responses to acute whole-body cold exposure in terms of internal body and skin temperature changes, O2 consumption changes, and plasma catecholamine levels. Psychomotor performance was evaluated at 4-hr, intervals over the course of the sleepless period, and the patterns of urinary excretion of catecholamines, Mg, and creatinine were followed. After the 1st sleepless night, psychomotor performance of sleep-deprived subjects was significantly lower than that of control subjects. The ability to regulate body temperature during standardized cold exposures, however, was not impaired by the loss of sleep. Urinary excretion patterns for the 2 groups were similar, except for differences related to activity level. Despite the gross psychomotor changes observed during sleep deprivation, physiological regulating systems are probably relatively unaffected by sleep loss.

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