Spencer Mb

Sleep after transmeridian flights.

Nocturnal sleep and daytime sleep latencies, recorded electroencephalographically after westward and eastward flights across the North Atlantic involving time zone shifts of 5 h, were influenced by the time of the flight and by subsequent displacement of the rest period. After the westward flight there was sleep disturbance during the latter part of the first night. However, there was persistent disturbance of sleep after the eastward flight. A rapidly eliminated hypnotic may be useful for the first night or two after a westward flight and for a few nights after an overnight eastward flight.

Influence of polar route schedules on the duty and rest patterns of aircrew

The duty and rest periods of aircrew operating the polar route from London via Anchorage were recorded during five schedules which involved 1-, 2- or 3-day sojourns in Japan. Sleep throughout each schedule was fragmented, with naps before duty and short sleeps after arrival at a new location. Sleep disturbance rather than cumulative sleep loss appeared to be the overriding problem, and the shorter schedules had the most marked disturbances in sleep during the trip and during the immediate recovery period. Electroencephalographic studies are necessary to confirm these observations, and information on circadian rhythmicity is needed to define the circumstances which lead to persistence of sleep disturbance on return to Europe.