The Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Spatial Disorientation
Abstract
Spatial disorientation is an inaccurate impression of one's position in space with respect to the earth's surface. As sleep loss is known to produce visual disturbances, this study was designed to investigate the effects of fatigue on aviator response to in-flight, disorienting events. Eight UH-60 rated aviators served as volunteer subjects. The subjects reported to the Laboratory at 1700 on Monday for in processing and baseline testing, retired at 2300, and awoke at 0700 on Tuesday. Throughout the day, aviators repeated one 6-hour practice test block three times. Each block included a 1-hour UH-60 simulator flight, objective and subjective measures of alertness, and several cognitive tests. To control for order effects, half of the subjects remained awake from 0700 Tue. to 2300 Wed. and were exposed to the disorienting events for the first time when they were sleep deprived. The other half of the subjects remained awake from 0700 Wed. to 2300 Thu. and saw the events first when they were fully rested. Analyses showed that nearly all measures of performance, to include mood, alertness, cognition, spatial orientation, postural stability, flight accuracy, and recovery from in-flight disorientation, were detrimentally impacted by fatigue. Aviators also reported a significant increase in oculomotor disturbances following fatigued simulator flights. New methods are being developed to assess the impact of visual disturbances on aviator performance during periods of extended operations.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 1999
- Accession Number
- ADA372369
Entities
People
- David Norman
- Dean Riley
- Mary E. Brock
- Patricia A. Leduc
- Siobban M. Hoffman
Organizations
- United States Army Aeromedical Research Lab