Sleepy without stimulation: subjective and objective sleepiness in actigraphy‐verified natural short sleepers

Summary Natural short sleepers (NSS)—individuals who report minimal sleepiness or daytime dysfunction despite habitually sleeping less than the recommended amount (i.e., <7 h)—are a focus of growing interest in sleep research. Yet, the predominance of research on NSS has relied on subjective reports of functionality. The present study examined subjective and objective sleepiness among actigraphy‐verified NSS in comparison with recommended (7–9 h/day) length sleepers (RLS) who reported similarly minimal daytime dysfunction. The study tested the hypothesis that under conditions of low environmental stimulation, NSS have increased risk of drowsiness and sleep onset, regardless of perceived alertness. The NSS and RLS groups were identified via screening and verified with a 14 day assessment with actigraphy, sleep diaries, and morning ratings of sleep restoration. In‐laboratory resting electroencephalography (EEG) data were analysed using a computerised EEG‐based algorithm (Vigilance Algorithm Leipzig; VIGALL) to classify second‐by‐second changes in objective sleepiness ranging from cognitively active alertness to sleep onset. Results demonstrated that NSS exhibited significantly higher drowsiness and sleep onset (‘microsleeps’) across 15 min of resting EEG despite perceptions of lower subjective sleepiness compared to RLS. Findings suggest that irrespective of perceived sleep restoration and alertness, NSS appear to be at high risk of objective sleepiness that is rapidly unmasked under conditions of low environmental stimulation. Such apparent discrepancy between subjective and objective sleepiness has potentially important public health implications. Future research directions, including tests of mechanisms and tailored sleep extension intervention, are discussed.