Researchers study crew rest to optimize performance
Researchers from the U.S. Air Force Lab, Brooks Air Force Base, Texas, and the Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center, Kirtland AFB, N.M., are conducting the sleep research during real-world missions flown by the 14th, 15th and 17th Airlift Squadrons. Some of those missions will be in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
Dr. Bill Storm, senior research scientist from the Air Force Lab, said sleep research for the Air Force is not new. The Air Force has been conducting sleep studies for more than 25 years, and Storm worked with CAFB C-141 crews in the 1970s and 1980s. He said the reason for his current visit is to look at a new software program called the Fatigue Avoidance Scheduling Tool.
"FAST allows us to take the work schedule of a security force member or pilot and compare it to their sleep schedule," said Storm. "We can look at a particular mission and say, 'Here's what time the drop is. If you take a nap at this particular time in the mission, you'll be at your maximum performance capability for the drop.'
"Seldom can we say, 'That's a bad time to bomb,'" continued Storm. "My philosophy is that any sleep is good sleep. However, there are certain times during the duration of a long mission when you'll get a more restorative sleep at one point in that mission than another."
Knowing when crews need sleep and when they will be at their maximum performance level is based on the Circadian Rhythm, according to Storm. Everyone has a Circadian Rhythm, or body clock, that runs for about 24 hours. At about the 18-hour point of being awake, a person will start to experience performance deficit.
"At 18 hours, you'll start feeling tired, like you need sleep," Storm said. "There's a reason for that. Your Circadian Rhythm is on the downside. You will start having reaction time problems, and if you stay awake that whole first day, your performance will drop by 20 or 25 percent."
A person needs between 7.5 and 8.5 hours of sleep every night, according to Storm. He said a lot of people get by on 6 hours regularly, and because of the lack of sleep, they're not performing at their maximum level.
Overseas missions also greatly affect the performance of aircrews because of the difference between a crewmember's body clock and the cultural clock for the area they may have to fly to. According to Storm, it's not practical for an aircrew member to try to adapt to a new area's cultural clock. For instance, it would take a person about six days to prepare their body clock for Germany's cultural clock (about one hour of adjustment per day.) Since most crews don't have six day's notice, and since adjusting a body clock involves things like blackout curtains, Storm said it's best just to get as much sleep as possible before departing CAFB.
The FAST software being studied here will account for things like sleep attained prior to departing CAFB. Storm said the sleep schedules of the aircrews being studied are recorded prior to leaving for a mission. During the mission, crewmembers wear actigraphs, watch-like sleep monitors, to record the times they are asleep. When the crews return, information from the actigraphs is downloaded into the software.
"Pilots are also completing a vision reaction test three or four times each day," said Storm. "The test is very sensitive to tracking sleep loss."
Currently, a researcher is flying with each of the crews to help measure sleep patterns and recommend prime times to nap. Storm said the researchers are traveling with the test crews as they fly to Germany to take part in Operation Enduring Freedom missions.
Eventually, Storm would like to see all the research pay off in the form of user-friendly software that flight-planning officials can use while scheduling missions. With a few keystrokes, FAST should be able to list the best times to sleep during any mission and what a person's performance level will look like if they follow the recommendations.
The CAFB crews taking part in the study have been more than cooperative, according to Master Sgt. Michelle LaCasse, AFOTEC test manager. She said although the study has meant imposing on the crews and asking them to do extra work, everyone has been friendly and willing to help in any way possible.
LaCasse, who personally served as a C-130 and E-4 crewmember for 14 years, said the researchers have done their best to educate the crews on exactly what they're studying and how they hope FAST will pay off for crews in the future.
Researchers will return to CAFB in 60-120 days to present their findings to base officials.
(FROM AIR MOBILITY COMMAND PUBLIC AFFAIRS)
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