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Still groggy?

Those deprived of sleep think better than those who've had a good sleep

WAKE-UP CALL Sleep inertia's effects are detectable for up to two hours PHOTO: S. THANTHONI

It's harder to count and think clearly right after waking from a good night's sleep than after staying up all night, according to a U.S. study published recently.

The study by the University of Colorado at Boulder shows that people who wake up after eight hours of sound sleep have more trouble thinking than after being deprived of sleep for more than 24 hours.

People who were tested had diminished short-term memory, counting skills and cognitive abilities during the groggy period after waking up known as sleep inertia, said CU-Boulder professor Kenneth Wright, the study's lead author.

"For a short period, at least, the effects of sleep inertia may be worse than being legally drunk," Wright said, noting that cognitive deficiencies after 24 hours of sleeplessness have been shown to be comparable to the effects of drunkenness.

The study has implications for medical workers and fire fighters who often get roused from their sleep to drive to the scene of an emergency, putting themselves and others at risk, Wright said.

The most severe impairments from sleep inertia occurred within the first three minutes after waking up, according to the study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The most severe effects generally dissipated after the first 10 minutes but sleep inertia's effects are often detectable for up to two hours, the study said.

— AFP

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