Awake EEG Disregulation in Good Compared to Poor Sleepers

This study was designed to test a disregulation model of sleep deprivation by assessing the ability of good sleepers compared to poor sleepers to shift daytime EEG patterning to changing environmental demands. Ten good and ten poor sleepers were identified from a sample of 110 college students who completed the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Inventory (PSQI). EEG and SCR were recorded during a five task assessment session, including: (1) pre-baseline, (2) eyes open at rest, (3) eyes closed at rest, (4) sensory attentiveness (listening to an audio book clip), and (5) cognitive effort (a higher level cognitive flexibility task). A significant Group x Task interaction, F (3, 16) = 4.81, p = . 01 was attained on the theta data. Specifically, for good sleepers, theta decreased from the "eyes open at rest" to the "sensory attentiveness" tasks, while poor sleepers showed the opposite pattern. This pattern of theta suppression was found in 70% of the good sleepers and only 20% of the poor sleepers. No between group differences were noted in the SCR data, supporting a brain disregulation model, rather than a general psychophysiological stress model.