Christmas festivities are already in full swing for many, with parties, stress and sleep deprivation all sapping at our energy reserves.
With New Year’s Eve likely to place an even greater burden on our reaction speeds, a new game lets you test just how alert you are.
The tool analyses whether players have the reactive instincts of an athlete, a well-rested person, an OAP, someone who is tipsy or has a hungover.
Around three quarters of people who have taken the test so far appear to have already succumbed to the holiday season – so how do you fare?
Christmas festivities are already in full swing for many, with parties, stress and sleep deprivation all sapping at our energy reserves. A new game analyses whether you have the reactions of an athlete, a well-rested person, an OAP, someone who is tipsy or has a hungover
The Christmas Reaction Test works by asking users to watch an on-screen cannon animation.
They then press any key on their computer, tablet device or mobile phone as soon as they see Father Christmas fired into the air.
The tool will then show exactly how quick their reaction time is in milliseconds.
The test is a version of a psychomotor vigilance task, used by psychologists to show how a lack of sleep affects alertness.
How well you sleep has a direct correlation on your ability to react quickly and make decisions.
Less than six hours sleep is a really bad thing for your reactions.
In the same way your body gets tired after a heavy day, affecting your ability to perform, if your brain hasn’t had the rest it needs, it’s not able to make the mark.
Sometimes, a bad night’s sleep affects your reactions more than drinking.
One study found sleep apnea sufferers were slower to react than participants with blood alcohol levels of 0.08, approximately two or three drinks and the same as the UK drink-drive limit.
Melissa Benedict, a spokesman for Web-Blinds.com who created the app, said: ‘With Christmas just around the corner, the party season is officially in full swing.
‘That usually means the prosecco is flowing and lots of light nights are ahead, not to mention the sleep deprivation caused by late night online shopping, wrapping and excitable children.
The Christmas Reaction Test works by asking users to watch an on-screen cannon animation. They then press any key on their computer, tablet device or mobile phone as soon as they see Father Christmas fired into the air
‘Christmas is a hectic time of the year. This tool reveals the real impact of late nights and a busy schedule on our reaction times.’
Athletes have a reaction time up to 0.155 milliseconds, while a a well-rested person will respond within 0.156 to 250 milliseconds, according to research from Stanford University.
Someone who has been drinking alcohol reacts between 250 to 280 milliseconds after the animation, while an someone aged over 65 years old will display a reaction time of over 280 milliseconds.
The test is a version of a psychomotor vigilance task, used by psychologists to show how a lack of sleep affects alertness. How well you sleep has a direct correlation on your ability to react quickly and make decisions
Based on the more than 2,500 people who have already used the online tool to test their reaction times, 75 per cent were as alert as someone who is intoxicated. Two per cent were as alert a someone suffering from a hangover and just 1.3 per cent were as alert as an athlete
Based on the more than 2,500 people who have already used the online tool to test their reaction times so far, 75 per cent were as alert as someone who is intoxicated.
A further 16.7 per cent were as alert as a well-rested person, while five per cent have the reaction times of an OAP.
Around two per cent are as alert a someone suffering from a hangover and just 1.3 per cent are as alert as an athlete.
Based on the more than 2,500 people who have already used the online tool to test their reaction times so far, 75 per cent were as alert as someone who is intoxicated (stock image)