alertness
Sign in to saveAlertness is a state of active attention characterized by high sensory awareness. Someone who is alert is vigilant and promptly meets danger or emergency, or is quick to perceive and act. Alertness is a psychological and physiological state.
Article
8 sectionsContents
- Importance and difficulty
- Neurobiological pathways
- Drugs used to increase alertness
- Other approaches for increasing alertness
- Alertness after waking
- Behavioral ecology
- See also
- References
Alertness is a state of active attention characterized by high sensory awareness. Someone who is alert is vigilant and promptly meets danger or emergency, or is quick to perceive and act. Alertness is a psychological and physiological state.
Lack of alertness is a symptom of a number of conditions, including narcolepsy, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, chronic fatigue syndrome, depression, Addison's disease, and sleep deprivation. Pronounced lack of alertness is an altered level of consciousness. States with low levels of alertness include drowsiness.