Sleep Deprivation: Effect on Mental Task Performance of Military Cadets
Hauwa Mary Aigboje, Damian D. Osa-Afiana

Abstract
In modern society, prolonged wakefulness is a common phenomenon. Amongst students of the military, this is a frequent occurrence. There is a broad consensus that insufficient sleep leads to general slowing of response and increased variability in performance. Attention, long-term memory and decision-making have also been found to be influenced by sleep deprivation. Studies on effects on more demanding cognitive functions and among some essential subpopulations are required.This study was aimed at comparing the effects of varied levels of sleep deprivation on mental task performance of military students. It was hypothesized that deprivation (acute or chronic) would impair performance in mental tasks. A series of mental tasks were administered to military students (n= 76) of the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA).Results showed sleep deprivation adversely affected mental task performance in the population but no significant difference was found between acute or chronic sleep deprivations on performance on a mental task.

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