Sleep Deprived and Sweating It Out: The Effects of Total Sleep Deprivation on Skin Conductance Reactivity to Psychosocial Stress

Study Objectives: We examined how sleep deprivation alters physiological responses to psychosocial stress by evaluating changes in skin conductance. Design: Between-subjects design with one group allocated to 24 h of total sleep deprivation and the other to rested wakefulness. Setting: The study took place in a research laboratory. Participants: Participants were 40 healthy young adults recruited from a university. Interventions: Sleep deprivation and feedback. Measurements and Results: Electrodermal activity was monitored while participants completed a difficult perceptual task with false feedback. All participants showed increased skin conductance levels following stress. However, compared to well-rested participants, sleep deprived participants showed higher skin conductance reactivity with increasing stress levels. Conclusions: Our results suggest that sleep deprivation augments allostatic responses to increasing psychosocial stress. Consequentially, we propose sleep loss as a risk factor that can influence the pathogenic effects of stress.