Sleep Management for Maintenance of Human Productivity in Continuous Work Schedules
Abstract
As part of a research effort evaluating task performance during sustained operations, three groups of young, physically fit, U.S. Marine Corps volunteer subjects (Ss) were evaluated for effects of starting time, exercise, time-on-job, and sleep duration on their task performance. The Ss in the morning group started a 45-hour long continuous operation at 0800. The Ss in the noon group started the continuous operation at 1300, and the midnight group at 0000. The 45-hour continuous workday, followed by five-hour long break period (which included a 3-hour nap), and then by the second 20-hour long continuous workday. The four major findings from these results were: 1) the Ss in the noon group showed significantly slower simple reaction and four-choice reaction times in comparison with the morning and midnight groups. Hence the starting time of the workday makes a critical difference in maintaining performance effectiveness; 2) exercise at 30% of maximal aerobic power significantly slowed the reaction time and caused more errors in the simple reaction and four-choice task times. Post- exercise psychomotor task performance was slower and less accurate for exercising as compared to non-exercising Ss; 3) the 3-hour long nap was not sufficiently long enough to assure continued high performance as compared to performance after a sleep of 8 hours during the first workday. These results are to be used in developing a sleep management doctrine. Keywords: Sleepers; Shift work.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 1985
- Accession Number
- ADA177971
Entities
People
- David Ryman
- Paul Naitoh
Organizations
- Naval Health Research Center