Abstract

Background: Sleep is a basic need for survival and restoration of body and mind. Human populations have undergone a steady constant decline in sleep hours attributable to changes in environmental and social circumstances. Sleep is an important determinant of cognitive performance in humans with sleep deprivation known to cause cognitive decline in susceptible individuals. Aims and Objectives: Our study aims to assess sleep duration as a determinant of cognitive function in young Indian adults.
Materials and Methods: A total of 60 healthy young volunteers in the 18–25 years age group of both sexes were divided into two groups of 30 each, Group 1 – inadequate sleep duration (< 0.001). Comparing the results of the Stroop test between the two groups, the reaction time of the incongruent trial was found to be significantly higher in Group 1 in comparison to Group 2 (P = 0.02). Conclusion: The reaction time during the incongruent trial was significantly higher in sleep-deprived subjects as compared to those getting adequate sleep/day signifying a decline in cognitive function with deprivation of sleep.