Effects of sleep deprivation on postural control

• Autor(a) principal: Cardoso, Sofia Saldanha Lopes Lourenço
• Data de Publicação: 2021
• Tipo de documento: Dissertação
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.5/26261
• topic: Balance; Sleep Loss; Circadian Rhythm; Motor Control; Posturography; Center of Pressure; Linear Variability; Postural Sway; Postural Control Complexity; Non-Linear Dynamics; Entropy; Temporal Structure; Chronotype; Equilíbrio; Perda de Sono; Ritmo Circadiano; Controlo Motor; Posturografia; Centro de Pressão; Variabilidade Linear; Complexidade do Controlo Postural; Dinâmica Não-linear; Entropia; Estrutura Temporal; Cronótipo; Domínio/Área Científica::Ciências Médicas::Outras Ciências Médicas

Sleep is an essential biological requirement for the human organism to regulate its physiological, physical, cognitive, psychological and emotional resources, according to its necessities, allowing the functionality to carry out daily activities successfully. Evidence claims that sleep deprivation has a negative impact on physical performance, motor development and quality of life. One of the components that reflects motor performance is postural control. Sleep deprivation decreases considerably the capacity of stabilizing the neuromuscular system and adapting to environmental constraints, leading to a greater propensity to injuries and falls. This study aims to investigate the effects of a 24-hour sleep deprivation on postural control. Seventeen healthy participants (age 23.88±2.42 years, height 1.75±0.06 m, weight 71.80±7.97 kg, body mass index 23.30±1.80 kg/m2) visited the laboratory on two occasions: pre and post 24 hours of sleep deprivation. In both sessions, participants performed the postural control assessment, using the posturography technique. The protocol consisted on stabilizing the body, standing on both legs over a platform, for two minutes, while remaining quiet. The evaluation was performed twice, under two conditions: with eyes opened, and with eyes closed. Linear parameters of the center of pressure data were analyzed. Non-linear parameters of variability in the regularity of postural control were also determined through the sample entropy metric. Paired samples t-tests or a Wilcoxon Signed-rank tests were performed to test the effect of sleep deprivation on all dependent variables. Nearly all linear parameters showed an increase after sleep deprivation (excluding range in the anterior-posterior direction in eyes opened condition, which was maintained), while sample entropy decreased. Our findings show that 24 hours of sleep deprivation negatively affects postural control. This study confirmed the observations of previous studies using linear variables and provided a new contribution regarding the effects of a 24-hour sleep deprivation on the complexity of postural control and motor performance. The measure of entropy reflects the adaptability of motor control and acts as an indirect index of the functional capacity of the human neuromuscular system. Accordingly, in a state of sleep deprivation, psychomotor, cognitive and adaptability capacities are reduced, suggesting that there is a greater probability of compromising the neuromuscular system and, consequently, a greater exposure to injuries and falls.