A modern and very accurate solution in many difficult cases today is a polygraph. It helps to understand even confusing situations, determine the veracity of people’s words and restore trust. However, to increase the accuracy of the study, it is important to properly prepare for it, because the results can be affected by both the physical and emotional state of a person. One of the important issues is sleep. Does its quantity and quality affect the results of a polygraph, and how exactly?
The influence of sleep on a person
To understand in detail the influence of such a factor as sleep on the results of a polygraph, it is important to understand how the quality and quantity of sleep affect a person in principle. Remember that a lie detector is not a magic “truth-catcher”. It is a technique that ensures the recording of a person’s physiological reactions.
Good healthy sleep has a positive effect on a person’s well-being, because it is responsible for the restoration of vital systems and cognitive functions. With a lack of sleep in general, a number of obvious problems can be observed, namely:
- Emotional instability. At the same time, the presence of mental disorders, depression and other problems will only worsen. And the emotional state will be unstable even in healthy people.
- Reduced performance. Lack of sleep inevitably leads to increased stress for the body. As a result, a person feels tired, irritable, and his performance decreases.
- Impaired memory and concentration. Lack of sleep leads not only to problems remembering new information, but also to difficulties in recalling old information. At the same time, lack of concentration negatively affects the decision-making process.
This is just a general picture. All these problems arise because lack of sleep or its poor quality affects specific physiological reactions in the human body. Let’s look at them in more detail:
- Heart rate. Lack of sleep leads to increased stress levels and activation of the sympathetic nervous system. This means that the body is in a state of alert and combat readiness. Due to this, the heart rate often increases even at rest. Just one night of sleep deprivation leads to an increase in heart rate by approximately 5-10 beats per minute.
- Average blood pressure. During sleep, the body’s blood pressure drops because it is in a state of rest and recovery. Lack of sleep or poor quality of sleep disrupts this process. As a result, we have elevated blood pressure during the day. The situation worsens when the problem becomes chronic. In these cases, an increase of 5-15 mm is observed, which not only distorts the results of the polygraph, but also increases the risk of hypertension.
- Breathing. In this case, the situation is the same as with the heartbeat. Stress leads to the activation of the sympathetic nervous system, which increases the pulse and often breathing. Normally, the indicator is on average about 18 times per minute. At the same time, changes in these reactions are not so significant, so even with lack of sleep they rarely go beyond the norm.
- Electrodermal activity. This refers to sweating, which is also impaired due to lack of sleep. As a result of the sympathetic nervous system activity, the eccrine sweat glands are stimulated, which increases skin conductivity. Most often, increased reactions are observed in the palms and feet. It is worth noting that this indicator is the most sensitive, so it can significantly change the results of a polygraph test.
Considering all of the above, we can make an unambiguous conclusion that poor sleep (or worse, its complete absence) will distort the results of the polygraph or simply sabotage the study. Do not forget that some standards and departmental instructions directly prohibit people with sleep deprivation from taking the polygraph.
Recommendations before taking a lie detector test
To avoid distorted results and other problems, follow these simple tips:
- Try to get a good night’s sleep the night before the test (8-10 hours is recommended, but it’s individual). The main thing is to stick to your usual routine.
- In case of stress, anxiety or other factors leading to insomnia, it is better to postpone the examination. A clear lack of sleep is considered to be sleep of 3-4 hours or less.
- Avoid taking medications that affect the nervous system. It is best to drink chamomile tea, milk with honey, or use other home remedies for good sleep.
- Avoid napping during the day, especially before a test. This can slow down your reactions.
Simple tips and maintaining a normal routine will help you get through lie detector Kyiv without any problems.