Arousal and continuous attention during Ramadan intermittent fasting

Abstract

During the month of Ramadan, practicing Muslims abstain from eating and drinking from sunrise to sunset. We aimed to investigate the effect of Ramadan fasting on arousal and continuous attention. The electrodermal activity and cancellation test of students were measured in fasting and non-fasting conditions after the conclusion of the Ramadan fast period. The skin conductance level of the fasting group was no different from the non-fasting group. In non-fasting group, the skin conductance response amplitude to an auditory stimulus was higher and the skin conductance response onset latency was lower than in the fasting group. Cancellation test results: the fasting group had a lower total number of marked targets (TNTM) but a higher total number of missed targets (TNMT) and length of time for the subject to complete the test (LTCT) than the non-fasting group. Ramadan fasting did not change arousal, but the reaction time to an auditory stimulus increased during the Ramadan intermittent fasting. Both reaction amplitude and continuous attention also decreased in the fasting condition.

Vardiyalı çalışan hemşirelerde dikkatin elektrodermal aktivite ile araştırılması

“…EDA which is a good indicator of the activity of the central nervous system and the level of awakeness has a wide usage area in psychophysiologic studies. EDA shows variance in all stimuli and reflex events which increase the sympathetic activity and thus sympathetic sudorific activity (10). In this study, it was found that the sympathetic skin response and thus attention and awakeness levels did not change in nurses who worked in night shifts and had variable circadian sleep rhythm, but the cortisol levels in blood samples obtained after night shifts were significantly higher compared to the nurses who did not work in night shifts.…”

“…SCL at rest reflects autonomic and corticoreticular awakeness process. In the literature, it has been reported that SCL can be used as an awakeness index in various psychophysiological areas (10).…”

Influence of Ramadan on Neuroperformance in Healthy Workers

“…Dolu et al (2007) found that concentration of medical students at the Mesulam and Weintraum Cancellation Tasks was lower during the first week Ramadan, with less targets marked and more targets missed (P<0.01) (10). Lotfi et al (2010) found a significant positive effect of Ramadan, in both first and third week, on visual perception and digit span backward test in sports school students (P<0.001).…”

“…Two studies found a slower reaction speed during the first week of Ramadan (Roky et al 2004, Dolu et al 2007, while measurements in the second half of Ramadan showed no effect on reaction speed (Roky et al 2000, Tian et al 2011. Information processing speed and concentration were decreased in the first week of Ramadan in one study (Roky et al 2004), but were better than normal in another study (Lotfi et al 2010).…”

What should doctors do about fasting during Ramadan?

“…4 However Dolu et al concluded that reaction times to an auditory stimulus increased and continuous attention decreased. 5 The effects of fasting on doctors' performance requires further study. Until strong evidence is available to support fasting, doctors should avoid it while caring for patients.…”