The effects of body posture on resting electroencephalographic activity insleep-deprived subjects

Objective: This study examined the effects of posture on the resting electr oencephalographic (EEG) activity of sleep-deprived volunteers. Methods: EEG data were collected under two conditions at 13 separate time p oints. Testing was performed while subjects remained in a normal seated pos ition and then repeated while subjects stood upright. Results: Results indicated that delta and theta activity progressively incr eased as a function of sleep loss, and that standing upright attenuated thi s effect. Conclusions: These results suggest that an upright posture increases EEG ar ousal and may be useful for counteracting fatigue in sleep-deprived individ uals. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.