Sleep at Simulated 2438 m: Effects on Oxygenation, Sleep Quality, and Postsleep Performance

Muhm, J. Michael; Signal, T. Leigh; Rock, Paul; Jones, Stephen; O'Keeffe, Karyn; Weaver, Matthew R.; Zhu, Shengli; Gander, Philippa H.; Belenky, G

doi:10.3357/asem.2327.2009

Cited by 22 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…In contrast, some of the early studies and also more recent studies have shown that this level of mild hypoxia can affect the performance of novel and complex cognitive tasks involving multiple demands [1,3,9,11,12,18] including procedural errors in simulated flight [20]. These latter findings are consistent with real-world observations of acute symptoms of hypoxia at altitudes below 10,000 ft in operational helicopter crew [23] and impaired sleep quality in laboratory studies at 9000 ft [21] and in aircraft cabins at 2438m (8000ft) [19]. Indeed, Denison et al [3] reported that learning in complex tasks at altitudes as low as 1500m (5000ft) was slower than at sea level.…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 78%

Could mild hypoxia impair pilot decision making in emergencies?

Legg¹,

Hill

Mündel

et al. 2012

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The decreased pressure in the cabin of a pressurised aircraft (typically equivalent to ~8000 ft) reduces the oxygen level so that the blood oxygen saturation of all occupants falls from >97% (normoxia) at sea-level to below 92% (mild hypoxia). Although exposure to mild hypoxia does not affect well-learned cognitive and motor performance of aircrew, it has been proposed that it can affect the performance of some complex cognitive performance tasks involving multiple demands typical of emergency tasks that may have to be performed by pilots. In order to simulate some of these complex cognitive demands, 25 student volunteers participated in an experiment which assessed performance of complex logical reasoning and and multiple memory tasks before and after 2 hours of exposure to normoxia and mild hypoxia. Performance for the more difficult components of the complex reasoning task, especially involving conflict decisions, were marginally significantly degraded by mild hypoxia. Since the effects were only marginally significant future studies should investigate the effects of mild hypoxia on more subtle complex decision-making tasks.

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Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 78%

Could mild hypoxia impair pilot decision making in emergencies?

Legg¹,

Hill

Mündel

et al. 2012

Work

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“…Although considerable attention has been given to the development of onboard crew rest facilities, with bunks to allow horizontal sleep, polysomnographic studies show that in‐flight sleep is lighter and more fragmented than sleep in a layover hotel (Ho et al ., ; Signal et al ., , ). Hypobaric chamber studies suggest that this is not the result of reduced cabin air pressure at cruising altitudes (equivalent to 6–8000 feet; Muhm et al ., ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

In‐flight sleep, pilot fatigue and Psychomotor Vigilance Task performance on ultra‐long range versus long range flights

Gander

Signal

Berg

et al. 2013

Journal of Sleep Research

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Summary This study evaluated whether pilot fatigue was greater on ultra‐long range (ULR) trips (flights >16 h on 10% of trips in a 90‐day period) than on long range (LR) trips. The within‐subjects design controlled for crew complement, pattern of in‐flight breaks, flight direction and departure time. Thirty male Captains (mean age = 54.5 years) and 40 male First officers (mean age = 48.0 years) were monitored on commercial passenger flights (Boeing 777 aircraft). Sleep was monitored (actigraphy, duty/sleep diaries) from 3 days before the first study trip to 3 days after the second study trip. Karolinska Sleepiness Scale, Samn–Perelli fatigue ratings and a 5‐min Psychomotor Vigilance Task were completed before, during and after every flight. Total sleep in the 24 h before outbound flights and before inbound flights after 2‐day layovers was comparable for ULR and LR flights. All pilots slept on all flights. For each additional hour of flight time, they obtained an estimated additional 12.3 min of sleep. Estimated mean total sleep was longer on ULR flights (3 h 53 min) than LR flights (3 h 15 min; P(F) = 0.0004). Sleepiness ratings were lower and mean reaction speed was faster at the end of ULR flights. Findings suggest that additional in‐flight sleep mitigated fatigue effectively on longer flights. Further research is needed to clarify the contributions to fatigue of in‐flight sleep versus time awake at top of descent. The study design was limited to eastward outbound flights with two Captains and two First Officers. Caution must be exercised when extrapolating to different operations.

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“…11,12 Nevertheless, it has not been conclusively studied whether healthy mountain travelers experience nocturnal breathing and sleep disturbances already at moderate altitude (< 3,000 m) and whether this is associated with cognitive impairments during daytime. Recently, we observed that patients with untreated obstructive sleep apnea syndrome living at an altitude below 800 m revealed a major exacerbation of sleep apnea, pronounced hypoxemia, and impaired driving simulator performance during a stay in the mountains at altitudes of 1,860 m and 2,590 m. 13,14 If similarly striking effects would occur even in healthy individuals without preexisting breathing disorder, this would have major implications for a large number of travelers to moderate altitude as well as for flight passengers and air crew 15,16 in terms of impairment of subjective well-being, and performance during professional activities and sports. Therefore, the purpose of the current study was to perform a randomized trial evaluating the hypothesis that acute exposure to hypobaric hypoxia at moderate altitude during 4 days is associated with periodic breathing, sleep disturbances, and impaired psychomotor and cognitive function during daytime.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%