Psychosomatic Medicine 35:415-418 (1973)
© 1973 American Psychosomatic Society

Effect of Daytime Alpha Rhythm Maintenance on Subsequent Sleep

¹ Peter Bent Brigham Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
² NASA, Ames Research Laboratory, Moffett Field, California
³ Neurosciences Program at the University of Alabama, Birmingham, Alabama

Address for reprint requests: Q. R. Regestein, MD, Peter Bent Brigham Hospital, 721 Huntington Avenue, Boston, Massachussetts 02115.

The sleep of five subjects was studied electroencephalographically to investigate whether the prolonged daytime maintenance of EEG alpha rhythm under feedback conditions affects sleep on the following night. Each of the subjects slept in the laboratory during two separate five-night periods, Monday through Friday, at least a week apart. During Thursday of each study, the subject spent twelve hours producing money-reinforced alpha or nonalpha depending on the experimental paradigm. Mean percentages of the various sleep stages and total sleep times were compared between postfeedback nights and control nights. The sleep stages did not appear to be differentially affected, but a significant decrement of total sleep time was noted between the post-alpha-conditioning night and the controls. Thus, production of high amounts of alpha rhythm during the day may be associated with a slightly decreased sleep need.