A new study published in the journal Clocks & Sleep challenges the long-held belief that the best timing for different types of cognitive tasks depends on the body’s biological clock.
However, our study shows that the biological clock does not do so in a task-specific manner, said co-author Kimberly Honn, an assistant professor in the WSU Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine affiliated with WSU’s Sleep and Performance Research Center. “In other words, peak task performance may vary from person to person, but it is not necessarily different based on the nature of the task.”
These findings are applicable to anyone who has to deal with multiple tasks that require mental effort, according to Honn. According to her advice, individuals should ask themselves what time of day they feel most focused and ready to perform, and this may vary depending on whether they are an early bird, an evening person or somewhere in between. Some other factors to consider include the time of day and how long an individual has been awake.
WSU graduate student in neuroscience Rachael Muck, the study’s co-first author, believes that anyone who finds themselves sleepy should consider postponing important tasks until a later date.
During the study, participants were tested on their ability to stay focused, their ability to link information in their memory, and their ability to rate how tired they were, among other things.
Researchers found that the biological clock’s effect on participants’ self-reported sleepiness correlated with the results of the other two tests. “When you’re tired and tired, it’s not the best time to do anything. At least, that’s what your biological clock tells us.
Study participants were put on a day or night shift schedule for three days in a laboratory experiment, which the research team analyzed. The researchers were able to separate the effects of the biological clock on task performance from the effects of how long the participants had been awake by comparing these shifts.
Participants were kept in a constant routine protocol designed to study human biological rhythms independent of any external influences after they completed their simulated shifts In order to keep them awake for 24 hours, they were placed in a semi-reclined position and given the same snacks every hour. Melatonin, a hormone that reflects biological clock timing, was measured throughout the daily routine by researchers who drew blood samples at regular intervals. The three cognitive tests were administered to the participants every two hours.
No significant differences in peak task performance were found when comparing the test results of participants to the biological clock.
The researchers plan to conduct additional studies to confirm these findings, expanding the scope of their research to include additional cognitive tests. A sample of real-life shift workers will also be used to conduct an analysis of task performance data after they have completed their shift.
First author Amanda Hudson of Washington State University’s (WSU) experimental psychology department says shift work can make workers sleepy, so knowing the best times for different tasks is especially important in shift work environments. Employees may want to perform the most critical tasks of their workday at times of the day when they are least sleepy if peak performance isn’t tied to a biological clock.