Alertness Management Strategies for Operational Contexts

Abstract

This article provides a review which addresses the problem of fatigue attributable to sleep loss in modern society and the scientifically proven strategies useful for reducing fatigue-related risks. Fatigue has become pervasive because many people work non-standard schedules, and/or they consistently fail to obtain sufficient sleep. Sleep restriction, sleep deprivation, and circadian desynchronization produce a variety of decrements in cognitive performance as well as an array of occupational and health risks. A number of real-world mishaps have resulted from performance failures associated with operator sleepiness. In some cases, fatigue/sleepiness is unavoidable, at least temporarily, due to job-related or other factors, but in other cases, fatigue/sleepiness results from poor personal choices. Furthermore, some individuals are more vulnerable to the effects of sleep loss than others. Fortunately, fatigue-related risks can be mitigated with scientifically-valid alertness-management strategies. Proper work/rest scheduling and good sleep hygiene are of primary importance. If sleep time is available but sleep is difficult to obtain, sleep-inducing medications and behavioral circadian-adjustment strategies are key. In fatiguing situations such as when sleep opportunities are temporarily inadequate, lin1iting time on tasks, strategic napping, and the potential use of alertness-enhancing compounds must be considered. To optimize any alertness-management program, everyone must first be educated about the nature of the problem and the manner in which accepted remedies should be implemented. In the near future, objective fatigue-detection technologies may contribute substantially to the alleviation of fatigue-related risks in real-world operations.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Aug 01, 2008
Accession Number
ADA510840

Entities

People

  • J. Lynn Caldwell
  • John A. Caldwell
  • Regina M. Schmidt

Organizations

  • Air Force Research Laboratory

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force Research Laboratories
  • Body Temperature
  • Brain
  • Cardiovascular Diseases
  • Cardiovascular Physiological Phenomena
  • Circadian Rhythms
  • Deprivation
  • Detection
  • Diseases And Disorders
  • Drug Abuse
  • Dyssomnias
  • Health Services
  • Medical Personnel
  • Situational Awareness
  • Sleep Deprivation
  • Sleep Disorders
  • Standards

Readers

  • Aviation Safety Risk Assessment.
  • Circadian Sleep-Wake Regulation and Chronobiology
  • Systems Analysis and Design