ABSTRACT
Sleepiness and sleep quality broadly influence measures of general health, particularly impacting perceptions about energy and fatigue. Obtaining adequate amounts of sleep is generally viewed as important for promoting clear thinking and feelings of general well-being and for reducing accidents and related injuries. For example, studies of medical interns and residents indicate that fatigue related to loss of sleep increases numbers of motor vehicle accidents and medical errors and could decrease the quality of patient care.1,2 In another study, healthy young adults exposed to one night of sleep loss had slower and more variable reaction times, more errors of commission and omission, and impaired error correction.3 Such studies indicate that in these general ways, sleep promotes performance.
