Besides the connection between inadequate sleep and
a number of major health problems, there is also substantial scientific evidence that sleep deprivation affects cognition and motor performance. A recent study showed that people who were awake for up to 19 hours scored substantially worse on performance tests and alertness scales than those with a blood-alcohol level of .08 - the point of being legally drunk.7

• After one night of total sleep deprivation, subjects scored significantly lower on tests of judgment, simple reaction time, explicit recall and inverse words reading.
• Free recall is sensitive to 24 hours of total sleep deprivation.
• Daytime alertness and memory are impaired by the loss of eight hours of sleep, especially when there is a marked drop in sleep over a few nights.
• Getting three, five or seven hours of sleep a night for seven consecutive nights can significantly impair alertness and motor performance.