The Winter Contingency - a Sleep Study of Army Aircrews Operating in the Arctic Winter and the Effects of Light Exposure
Abstract
This study investigated the sleep quality, sleep duration, and mood of soldiers operating in a winter Arctic environment, and the effects of high energy visible (HEV) light exposure. Twenty participants (19 males, one female) at Fort Wainwright, Alaska were recruited to participate in a study. The data collection took place over seven weeks during the winter months. Participants wore sleep-tracking Oura rings throughout the study to assess sleep and wore HEV light-emitting glasses for 30 to 60 minutes upon awakening prior to the start of their duty day; HEV light canvases were also installed in common work areas. Our findings indicated that participants received adequate durations of sleep throughout the study and we saw no significant change (p = 0.356) in sleep durations between the baseline (MD=7.2, IQR=1.78) and light treatment phases of the study (MD=7.07, IQR=1.93). However, the quality of participants sleep may have been lacking as indicated by participant responses on questionnaires. We found significant improvement for profile of mood states (POMS) depressive symptoms (p = 0.039), fatigue (p = 0.074), confusion (p = 0.057) and Becks depression inventory (BDI-II) (p = 0.049) measurements when comparing mid-study and end-of-study questionnaires. The study could not control for the natural increase in daylight throughout the study, which may have played a role in the improvement in mood.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 2023
- Accession Number
- AD1224623
Entities
People
- Jeffery W Crook
Organizations
- Naval Postgraduate School