Gender and age differences in psychomotor vigilance performance under differential sleep pressure conditions

Significant differences in reaction times were observed between genders and age groups during sleep deprivation and napping conditions.

• Women displayed slower reaction times than men during both sleep deprivation and napping conditions, with the difference increasing over time.
• Elderly participants exhibited slower reaction times than younger participants during the napping protocol in the biological day but not at night.
• In the sleep deprivation protocol, elderly subjects showed slower reaction times during the first 16 hours under low to moderate sleep pressure.
• The performance decline in reaction times after sleep deprivation was less pronounced in the elderly compared to the young, especially after 16 hours.
• The findings suggest that age and gender may influence attentional performance during prolonged wakefulness and nighttime work.

AI simplified