STUDY OBJECTIVE:

To determine whether variation in sleep duration reflects variation in sleep need or self-imposed sleep restriction.

DESIGN:

After habitual bedrest duration of participants was assessed during a 2-week outpatient protocol, volunteers were scheduled to sleep according to this schedule for 1 week prior to and the first night after admission to a general clinical research center. The inpatient protocol included multiple sleep latency testing on the second day and sleep recordings during a bedrest extension protocol that included 16 hours of sleep opportunity (12 hours at night and 4 hours at midday) for 3 consecutive days.

SETTING:

Outpatient monitoring followed by inpatient assessment of sleep.

PARTICIPANTS:

Seventeen healthy volunteers (10 women) aged 18-32 years without clinical sleep disorders.

INTERVENTIONS:

Extension of sleep opportunity.

MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS:

The habitual bedrest duration varied from 6.1 to 10.3 hours. Individuals with shorter habitual bedrest duration fell asleep more quickly and frequently during the multiple sleep latency test than did those with longer habitual bedrest duration. On the first day of extended sleep opportunity, the total sleep time of all individuals was greater than their habitual bedrest duration; the average increase in total sleep time was 4.9 hours (P = 0.001). The increase in total sleep time declined across the 3 day bedrest-extension protocol (P = 0.003 for trend). During the third day of increased sleep opportunity, the total sleep time was negatively associated with habitual bedrest duration (P = 0.005); individuals with shorter habitual bedrest duration continued to sleep more than those with longer habitual bedrest duration.

CONCLUSION:

Those individuals with shorter habitual sleep durations carry a higher sleep debt than do those with longer habitual sleep duration. Interindividual variation in sleep duration may primarily reflect variation in self-selected sleep restriction or wake extension.