SLEEP DEPRIVATION AND WORKING MEMORY IN YOUNG ADULTS: A NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

This article analyzes the relationship between sleep deprivation and working memory in young adults from a neuropsychological perspective. It addresses the following research problem: how can total sleep deprivation or partial and recurrent sleep restriction affect cognitive processes related to the temporary maintenance and manipulation of information? The general objective was to clarify this relationship through a literature review. The specific objectives were to identify neuropsychological mechanisms involved in sleep and working memory, as well as to analyze scientific evidence on the effects of sleep deprivation and sleep restriction on the cognitive performance of this population. This is a literature review of a bibliographic nature, with a qualitative approach and descriptive character, with searches carried out mainly in the PubMed database using English descriptors and Boolean operators. The theoretical framework articulates contributions from Cognitive Psychology, Neuropsychology, Cognitive Neuroscience, and sleep studies. The findings indicate that sleep deprivation and sleep restriction may impair sustained attention, executive control, reaction time, cognitive strategies, and performance in working memory tasks. It is concluded that working memory is sensitive to sleep duration, quality, and regularity.