How well do train drivers sleep in relay vans?

Relay working operations typically require two crews of train drivers to work a totating 8-h schedule for two or more days. While one crew is driving, the other has the opportunity to sleep onboard the train. The current study investigated the impact of relay work on drivers sleep quantity and quality. Fourteen drivers wore wrist wactivity monitors and completed sleep/wake diaries for 3 d prior to and during short (<48 h) relay trips. Drivers obtained and average of 7.8 h sleep per night while at home, and an average of 4 h sleep per opportunity during the relay trip. Sleep obtained in the relay van was associated with lonnger sleep onset latencies, lower efficiency and poorer subjective quality than sleep at home. During the relay trip, drivers obtained significantly more sleep during opportunities that occurred in the evening, than those that occurred early morning or during the day. These findings suggest that while drivers are able to obtain sleep during short relay operations, it is of poorer quality than sleep obtained at home. Further, the timing of the sleep opportunities during the relay trip impacts on the quantity and quality of sleep obtained

Feedback has a positive effect on cognitive function during total sleep deprivation if there is sufficient time for it to be effectively processed

This study examined whether the provision of feedback and the interval between successive stimuli interact to affect performance on a serial simple reaction time test during sleep deprivation. Sixteen participants (9 female, 7 male, aged 18–27 yr) completed four versions of the 5-min psychomotor vigilance task for a handheld personal digital assistant (PalmPVT) every 2 h during 28 h of sustained wakefulness. The four versions differed in terms of whether or not they provided feedback immediately after each response, and whether the inter-stimulus intervals (ISIs) were long (2–10 s) or short (1–5 s). Cognitive function was assessed using reciprocal response time and percentage of responses that were lapses (i.e., had a response time ≥ 500 ms). Data were analysed using repeated measures ANOVA with three within-subjects factors: test session, feedback, and ISI. For both measures, the only significant interaction was between feedback and ISI. Cognitive function was enhanced by feedback when the ISIs were long because it provided motivation. Cognitive function was not affected by feedback when the ISIs were short because there was insufficient time to both attend to the feedback and prepare for the subsequent stimulus

Driver fatigue during extended rail operations

Abstrac

Impact of layover length on sleep, subjective fatigue levels, and sustained attention of long-haul airline pilots

Long-haul airline pilots often experience elevated levels of fatigue due to extended work hours and circadian misalignment of sleep and wake periods. During long-haul trips, pilots are typically given 1–3 d off between flights (i.e., layover) to recover from, and prepare for, duty. Anecdotally, some pilots prefer long layovers because it maximizes the time available for recovery and preparation, but others prefer short layovers because it minimizes both the length of the trip, and the degree to which the body clock changes from “home time” to the layover time zone. The aim of this study was to examine the impact of layover length on the sleep, subjective fatigue levels, and capacity to sustain attention of long-haul pilots. Participants were 19 male pilots (10 Captains, 9 First Officers) working for an international airline. Data were collected during an 11- or 12-d international trip. The trips involved (i) 4 d at home prior to the trip; (ii) an eastward flight of 13.5 h across seven time zones; (iii) a layover of either 39 h (i.e., short, n = 9) or 62 h (i.e., long, n = 10); (iv) a return westward flight of 14.3 h across seven time zones; and (v) 4 d off at home after the trip. Sleep was recorded using a self-report sleep diary and wrist activity monitor; subjective fatigue level was measured using the Samn-Perelli Fatigue Checklist; and sustained attention was assessed using the psychomotor vigilance task for a personal digital assistant (PalmPVT). Mixed-model regression analyses were used to determine the effects of layover length (short, long) on the amount of sleep that pilots obtained during the trip, and on the pilots' subjective fatigue levels and capacity to sustain attention. There was no main effect of layover length on ground-based sleep or in-flight sleep, but pilots who had a short layover at the midpoint of their trip had higher subjective fatigue levels and poorer sustained attention than pilots who had a long layover. The results of this study indicate that a short layover during a long-haul trip does not substantially disrupt pilots' sleep, but it may result in elevated levels of fatigue during and after the trip. If short layovers are used, pilots should have a minimum of 4 d off to recover prior to their next long-haul trip

The driver vigilance telemetric control system (DVTCS) : Investigating sensitivity to experimentally induced sleep loss and fatigue

Vigilance technologies are used in the Australian rail industry to address the risks associated with driver sleepiness and fatigue. The aim of this study was to investigate whether a new device, designed to detect lowered states of arousal using electrodermal activity (EDA), would be sensitive to experimentally induced sleepiness and fatigue. Fifteen individuals (7 of them female, 9 male; 18–32 years of age) spent 3 consecutive days in the laboratory, which included 1 night of sustained wakefulness (28 h). The participants completed a 10-min psychomotor vigilance task (PVT) and fatigue and sleepiness ratings every 2 h, and a 30-min driving simulator every 4 h. As was expected, simulated driving, PVT, and subjective ratings indicated increasing levels of sleepiness and fatigue during sustained wakefulness. The EDA device output did not coincide with these findings. The results indicated that the EDA indicator was not sensitive to increased sleepiness and fatigue at the levels produced in the present study

Sleep and circadian rhythms in mining operators : limited evidence of adaptation to night shifts

Cumulative sleep deprivation is often associated with work patterns involving night shift or early morning shifts. Adaptation of the circadian system to the shift pattern is reported to promote improved duration and quality of sleep and a concurrent improvement in performance. The current study followed twenty-nine operators at a live-in mining operation working to a seven-day, seven-night shift pattern who collected saliva samples for melatonin measurement, recorded sleep using activity monitors and diaries, and underwent performance testing (psychomotor vigilance task) for one complete roster cycle. The time of onset of melatonin secretion changed significantly (P ≡ 0.022) across the week of both Day and Night shifts (2104 h ± 16 min versus 2130 h ± 16 min, respectively), but the small magnitude of the change indicates a lack of true circadian rhythm adaptation to the lifestyle. Total sleep time was longer following the seventh Day shift (associated with a period of 24 h off prior to the commencement of Night shifts). There were no other changes in total sleep time. Further, there were no improvements in sleep onset latency or sleep efficiency on Day or Night shifts. However, reaction times recorded at the end of the shifts slowed across the seven Day and seven Night shifts indicative of impairments in psychomotor performance (F6,168 ≡ 6.087, P < 0.001). The results suggest that previous reports of adaptation to consecutive night shifts cannot necessarily be applied to onshore or Australian environments. Adaptation is dependent on factors such as light exposure, environmental conditions, shift parameters such as wakeup, work start and work end times and individual characteristics

Sleep in a live-in mining operation : the influence of start times and restricted non-work activities

The amount of sleep obtained between shifts is influenced by numerous factors including the length of work and rest periods, the timing of the rest period relative tothe endogenous circadian cycle and personal choices about the use of non-work time. The current study utilised a real-world live-in mining environment to examine the amount of sleep obtained when access to normal domestic, family and social activities was restricted. Participants were 29 mining operators (26 male, averageage 37.4 ± 6.8 years) who recorded sleep, work and fatigue information and wore an activity monitor for a cycle of seven day shifts and seven night shifts (both 12 h) followed by either seven or fourteen days off. During the two weeks of work participants lived on-site. Total sleep time was significantly less (p < 0.01) while on-site on both day (6.1 ±1.0 h) and night shifts (5.7 ± 1.5 h) than days off (7.4 ±1.h). Further, night shift sleep was significantly shorter than day-shift sleep (p < 0.01). Assessment of subjective fatigue ratings showed that the sleep associated with both days off and night shifts had a greater recovery value than sleep associated withday shifts (p < 0.01). While on-site, participants obtained only 6 h of sleep indicating that the absence of competing domestic, family and social activities did notconvert to more sleep. Factors including shift start times and circadian influences appear to have been more important

The effects of different roster schedules on sleep in miners

Shiftwork involving early morning starts and night work can affect both sleep and fatigue. This study aimed to assess the impact of different rostering schedules at an Australian mine site on sleep and subjective sleep quality