Effects of Extreme Sleep Deprivation on Human Performance
Sleep is a fundamental recuperative process for the nervous system. Disruption of this homeostatic drive can lead to severe impairments of the operator’s ability to perceive, recognize, and respond to emergencies and/or unanticipated events, putting the operator at risk. Therefore, establishing a comprehensive understanding of how sleep deprivation influences human performance is essential in order to counter fatigue or to develop mitigation strategies. The goal of the present study was to examine the psychological effects of prolonged sleep deprivation (approx. 75 hrs) over a four-day span on a general aviation pilot flying a fixed-based flight simulator. During the study, a series of tasks were employed every four hours in order to examine the pilot’s perceptual and higher level cognitive abilities. Overall, results suggest that the majority of cognitive and perceptual degradation occurs between 30-40 hours into the flight. Limitations and future research directions are also discussed.
- Research Organization:
- Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- DE-AC07-99ID-13727
- OSTI ID:
- 924494
- Report Number(s):
- INL/CON-07-12541; TRN: US200809%%347
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: Idaho Academy of Science Symposium and Meeting,University Place, Idaho Falls, ID,04/19/2007,04/21/2007
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Obstructive Sleep Apnea Among Army Aircrew
Sleep deprivation impairs recognition of specific emotions