title: Impaired driving performance associated with effect of time duration in patients with primary insomnia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate driving performance and psychomotor vigilance in patients with primary insomnia.
  
  
  METHODS
  After 1 night of polysomnography, participants performed a 1-h simulated monotonous driving task and a psychomotor vigilance task (PVT). Self-ratings of sleepiness, mood, and driving performance were completed.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study was conducted at the CHU of Caen Sleep Unit and the University of Caen.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-one primary insomnia patients and 16 good sleepers.
  
  
  METHODS
  Not applicable.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Results revealed a larger standard deviation of lateral position (P = 0.023) and more lane crossings (P = 0.03) in insomnia patients than in good sleepers. Analyses of effect of time on task performance showed that the impairment in patients occurred after 20 min of driving, which was not the case for good sleepers. No difference between groups was found for the PVT, neither for the mean reaction time (RT) (P = 0.43) nor the number of lapses (P = 0.21) and the mean slowest 10% 1/RT (P = 0.81). Patients rated their sleepiness level higher (P = 0.06) and their alertness level lower (P = 0.007) than did good sleepers (P = 0.007). The self-evaluation of the driving performance was not different between groups (P = 0.15).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings revealed that primary insomnia is associated with a performance decrement during a simulated monotonous driving task. We also showed that patients are able to drive safely only for a short time. It appears advisable for clinicians to warn patients about their impaired driving performance that could lead to an increased risk of driving accidents.
authors.forename: Joy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Perrier
authors.forename: Françoise
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bertran
authors.forename: Sullivan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Marie
authors.forename: Colette
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Couque
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bulla
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Denise
authors.forename: Marie-Laure
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Bocca
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D000368:Aged; D001143:Arousal / Q000502:physiology; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology; D001334:Automobile Driving / Q000523:psychology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017286:Polysomnography; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D011930:Reaction Time; D057566:Self Report; D007319:Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D012894:Sleep Stages / Q000502:physiology; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: daytime impairment; duration of task; monotonous driving; primary insomnia; vigilance