ABSTRACT
The effects of sleep deprivation on medical personnel have received much attention. This study evaluates the effects of sleep loss on divergent-thinking (creative or innovative) processes as measured by the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking (TTCT). Anesthesia residents who had approximately 30 minutes sleep while being on-call were evaluated. These physicians had similar caffeine and nicotine consumption before and after the test. The results reported here demonstrate that postcall residents had TTCT scores that were appreciably below those scores of rested residents. Postcall verbal fluency was less among the on-call group than among the rested group (94.0 +/- 9.7 vs 101.8 +/- 9.8) as was figural originality (89.9 +/- 22.1 vs 113.3 +/- 20.3). These study results suggest that sleep deprivation affects divergent, or creative, thinking. Divergent-thinking processes are usually innovative and are used during complex problem-solving tasks. Further studies are needed on the effects of sleep deprivation. This information can then be used to help improve residents' working conditions and patient care.
Subject(s)
Internship and Residency , Sleep Deprivation , Thinking , Employee Performance Appraisal/methods , Humans , Work Schedule ToleranceABSTRACT
The present study investigated neuropsychological functioning in school-age children at various points in time surrounding a hypoglycemic episode using 13 tasks drawn from age-appropriate, standard neuropsychological tests. The results demonstrate the effects of a hypoglycemic episode on neuropsychological functioning even after detectable physical symptoms have subsided. Although we are unable to delineate clearly their temporal course, it appears that the impact of such episodes is transient. In general, the pattern exhibited by these children who have presumably recovered from their mild hypoglycemic episode involved reduced motor performance, attention, and memory. The observed prolonged recovery time of these functions presents important implications for the child in both school and social settings.
