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Sleep inertia is a temporary period after awakening that impairs functional abilities and alertness, thought to be exacerbated by sleep restriction. Many Australians perform safety critical tasks such as operating a vehicle in the first two hours after awakening and many do no obtain sufficient sleep on a regular basis. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of consecutive nights of sleep restriction on the severity of sleep inertia—particularly in terms of the safety implications of impaired performance and alertness.
Male participants (n=33) were randomly allocated to a sleep restriction (5-hour time in bed) or control (8-hour time in bed) condition for seven consecutive nights. Assessment of attentiveness (90-second Psychomotor Vigilance Task-192) and subjective alertness (Visual Analogue Scale-alertness) were administered at eight intervals during the first 4 hours after awakening at baseline and following five nights of sleep manipulation.
Mixed-linear effects models revealed a significant effect of time in bed on reaction time (F1,31=7.65, p=.01) and number of lapses (F1,31=5.04, p=.03). After five nights of sleep restriction, response time was slower (d=0.61), and the number of lapses was greater (d=0.53), than after five nights of 8 hours time in bed. There was no effect of time in bed on VAS-alertness (F1,31=0.16, p=.69, d=0.11).
Consecutive nights of sleep restriction increases the impact of sleep inertia on attentiveness, but does not affect subjective alertness. Slower response times and lapses of attention while performing safety critical tasks shortly after awakening could result in increased errors, incidents and accidents.
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Appleton Institute for Behavioural Science, Central Queensland University

College of Education, Psychology and Social Work, Flinders University

Adelaide Institute for Sleep Health, Flinders University

Consecutive nights of moderate sleep restriction exacerbate sleep inertia

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In the luteal stage of the menstrual cycle, core body temperature increases during the night circadian cycle which results in better performance on simple cognitive tasks. In the follicular stage, increased performance is found on sexually dimorphic tasks favouring men. This effect has not been tested in the context of misaligned sleep cycle. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of sex and menstrual phase on complex cognitive performance, sleepiness and mood during a simulated night-shift. The participants, 22 men, 9 luteal stage women and 5 follicular stage women, completed a Serial Addition-Subtraction Task (SAS), Conjunction Search Task and Spatial Configuration Task at regular intervals during a simulated night shift in a sleep laboratory. Subjective mood and sleepiness were also assessed during the simulated night shift using a Profile of Mood States and the Karolinska Sleepiness Scale, respectively. There was no difference between groups in the percentage of correct responses on the SAS task and the spatial configuration task, or self-reported mood and sleepiness. There was a difference between groups in the percentage of correct responses on the conjunction search task with men and luteal stage women performing better than follicular stage women. This study shows that the vulnerability to sleep restriction due to menstrual cycle is not completely evidenced in the context of complex cognitive tasks over a single night of simulated shift work. Nevertheless, a more robust method of menstrual stage classification than self-report, as well as identifying participants’ menstrual cycle substages (early/late, follicular/luteal stages) is recommended in future studies.
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The impact of sex and menstrual phase on complex cognitive performance, sleepiness and mood during a simulated night-shift

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Overweight and unhealthy eating are rapidly increasing in Australia, with serious health consequences. Stimuli-control and substitution have well supported efficacy in facilitating health behaviour change. A case study of a twenty-year-old Australian student aimed to decrease unhealthy eating through these behavioural principles, which were identified using an Antecedent-Behaviour-Consequence approach and interview. The intervention utilised meditation (stimuli-control) and healthy food alternatives (substitution). The results demonstrated a dramatic decrease in indulgent eating from the baseline week (averaging four items per day) to the post-intervention period (0.86 items daily). Application of the principles supported the efficacy of these modes of behaviour change. Meditation has wide literature support for de-autotomising eating, which was replicated in the current study, used to replace a maladaptive stimuli-response link. Similarly, substituting healthy food permitted eating as a reinforcer, while removing negative health outcomes. The case-study is limited in its generalisability, especially considering the unique analysis required to produce a specific behavioural intervention. Nevertheless, the success of the intervention leads the way for further studies exploring the combination of these behavioural-approaches.
</abstract>

Meditation and healthy food alternatives to reduce indulgent eating: A case study previewing stimuli-control and substitution

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Chocolate is a major source of free sugars, with many people experiencing addiction-like cravings, leading to excess chocolate consumption. Excess consumption of free sugars (those sugars not naturally found in fruit, vegetables, or milk) has been linked to increased risk of chronic diseases. This case study investigates if an intervention using substitution and goal setting will reduce chocolate consumption. A single systems AB design intervention was used, whereby the participant (a 45-year-old married Australian female full-time university student) recorded their chocolate consumption in a diary for one-week pre-intervention and one-week post-intervention. After the pre-intervention week, a functional analysis of behaviour interview was conducted to establish antecedents and consequences. Subsequently, strawberries and tea were substituted for chocolate, and a maximum target of 200 grams of chocolate per week was set. Results showed 473 grams of chocolate was consumed in the baseline phase, which decreased to 305 grams in the post-intervention phase, indicating a 36% decrease, but exceeding the target maximum of 200 grams per week. Key reasons identified for exceeding the maximum target were that the substitutions were not similar enough to chocolate to satisfy sensory needs, and the goal was too ambitious considering the one-week timeframe. Future research opportunities include using cacao flavoured treats, and successive approximations (graduated goals) over a longer timeframe. However, the 36% decrease in chocolate consumption should be acknowledged, as this indicates that substitution and goal setting may be helpful for people wanting to reduce their chocolate consumption to avoid increased risks of chronic disease.
</abstract>

Using substitution and goal setting to reduce chocolate consumption: A behavioural intervention case study

AHEAD OF PRINT

Volume 4 (2023): Issue 1 (December 2023)

Volume 3 (2022): Issue 1 (September 2022)

Volume 2 (2020): Issue 1 (January 2020)

Volume 1 (2020): Issue 1 (October 2020)

Eat, Sleep, Work

The Eat, Sleep, Work Journal, is an internationally-run, peer-reviewed journal that is specifically designed to provide experiential learning in publishing, reviewing and editing for emerging behavioural researchers. The journal has a wide scope and readership base, and supports research communication for a broad audience. The journal showcases high quality research by up-and-coming researchers in lifestyle sciences, not limited to, but focusing on the relationships between sleep, diet, exercise, work, health and the environment. Publication and subscription are free. Our only condition is that you become inspired by the research and cite the papers in this journal. Each citation helps the track record of an early career researcher in our field!  We will publish work that makes a contribution to what we know about an area, as well as work that contributes to how we investigate and communicate this knowledge. Broad categories for submissions include:   New Scientists, New Science: work that makes an important contribution to knowledge  Lessons in Methodology: work that highlights the strengths and/or limitations of particular approaches to research  Analytic Techniques: Work that clearly demonstrates novel, commonly-used or rarely-used techniques in qualitative or quantitative analysis that may be of benefit to developing researchers  State of the Art: review articles expressing a position in a particular area  Calls to Arms: Work that highlights the need for research in particular areas  Mentorship: scholarly reflections on researcher development from the perspective of mentees or mentors, targeted for an audience that includes both  We will consider the following formats:   Journal articles  Short Reports  Review Articles  Case Studies  Letters to the Editor  We are also very happy to publish PhD thesis abstracts with short student biographies - we want to let the field know about our colleagues transitioning into post-study roles.  Archiving  Sciendo archives the contents of this journal in Portico - digital long-term preservation service of scholarly books, journals and collections.  Plagiarism Policy  The editorial board is participating in a growing community of Similarity Check System's users in order to ensure that the content published is original and trustworthy. Similarity Check is a medium that allows for comprehensive manuscripts screening, aimed to eliminate plagiarism and provide a high standard and quality peer-review process. 