New findings explain why, if you ’re sensitive to alcohol, you’re probably sensitive to sleep deprivation too

This study therefore provides evidence that alcohol and sleep deprivation affect the adenosine system in very similar ways, and that personal differences in this system likely contribute to the way our sensitivity or resilience to both manifests as an individual trait (although the full picture is more complicated – sensitivity to alcohol, for example, is known to depend on a number of factors and has been linked to several genetic variations). Though these results are important, they have several limitations. The volunteers underwent more experimental conditions than included in the key analysis of the effects of sleep deprivation and alcohol intoxication. In fact they spent a total of 12 days in the sleep laboratory, including an adaptation night and other challenges, including exposure to air low in oxygen or alcohol followed by partial sleep deprivation. Although these conditions were always followed by recovery nights, there may have been some carry-over effects that influenced the currently discussed results. The study samples were also relatively small and uneven (for instance, of the 47 volunteers from the total sleep-deprivation group, 12 could not complete the alcohol condition, and only 14 participants completed the partial sleep deprivation condition). The results should be replicated using bigger samples to confirm that sensitivity to alcohol and sleep deprivation is a true individual trait. Moreover, although sustained attention is a key function, it would al...
Source: BPS RESEARCH DIGEST - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Alcohol biological Brain Cognition guest blogger Sleep and dreaming Source Type: blogs