The effect of sleep deprivation on objective and subjective measures of facial appearance.
The effect of sleep deprivation on objective and subjective measures of facial appearance.
J Sleep Res. 2019 Apr 21;:e12860
Authors: Holding BC, Sundelin T, Cairns P, Perrett DI, Axelsson J
Abstract
The faces of people who are sleep deprived are perceived by others as looking paler, less healthy and less attractive compared to when well rested. However, there is little research using objective measures to investigate sleep-loss-related changes in facial appearance. We aimed to assess the effects of sleep deprivation on skin colour, eye openness, mouth curvature and periorbital darkness using objective measures, as well as to replicate previous findings for subjective ratings. We also investigated the extent to which these facial features predicted ratings of fatigue by others and could be used to classify the sleep condition of the person. Subjects (n = 181) were randomised to one night of total sleep deprivation or a night of normal sleep (8-9 hr in bed). The following day facial photographs were taken and, in a subset (n = 141), skin colour was measured using spectrophotometry. A separate set of participants (n = 63) later rated the photographs in terms of health, paleness and fatigue. The photographs were also digitally analysed with respect to eye openness, mouth curvature and periorbital darkness. The results showed that neither sleep deprivation nor the subjects' sleepiness was related to differences in any facial variab...
Source: Journal of Sleep Research - Category: Sleep Medicine Authors: Holding BC, Sundelin T, Cairns P, Perrett DI, Axelsson J Tags: J Sleep Res Source Type: research