Adherence
Repeated partial sleep deprivation and acute total sleep deprivation impair Subjective Alertness and Sustained Attention significantly more than Working Memory (Executive Functions), regardless of executive load.
If you are sleep-deprived, do not assume your complex decision-making or working memory is intact. Your basic alertness and ability to sustain attention on simple tasks will degrade first and most severely. Prioritize safety-critical tasks (driving, monitoring) over complex cognitive work, as your vigilance will fail before your executive logic does.
Overall, however, Subjective Alertness and Sustained Attention were more affected by both partial and total sleep deprivation than other cognitive domains and tasks including n-back tasks of Working Memory, even when implemented with a high executive load.
Why this rating
Randomized controlled laboratory protocol with stratified genotypes and comprehensive cognitive testing.
Source
Effects of Partial and Acute Total Sleep Deprivation on Performance across Cognitive Domains, Individuals and Circadian Phase
June C. Lo et al. · PLoS ONE · 2012
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