A survey of fatigue in Army aviators

INTRODUCTION: Fatigue plays a critical role in mission success due to its effect on a number of performance variables. The purpose of this study was to gauge the extent to which U.S. Army aviators experience subjective fatigue on a regular basis presently as well as their perceptions of their own sleep quality, quantity, and daytime sleepiness. This information is valuable for prioritizing future research lines with respect to injury prevention and fatigue management as well as updating policy. METHODS: An anonymous, 125-item questionnaire was completed by 214 U.S. Army aviators. A subset of those items (15 questions related to fatigue) are reported in this study. Subjects were primarily male and the mean age was 33 yr. RESULTS: Results suggest that the majority of subjects sleep less than the recommended 8 h per night and nearly half of them report sleeping less than their own preferred amount of sleep. Approximately 40% of the sample indicated that they believed fatigue to be a widespread problem in the U.S. Army aviation community. DISCUSSION: Overall, the findings identified factors contributing to fatigue and performance degradation currently experienced by those sampled in this study. Specifically, inconsistent shiftwork, less than optimal levels of rest, and poor sleep quality in the field were identified. Compared to past research, the extent to which fatigue is perceived to be a widespread problem is significantly lower than reported 15 yr prior.Kelley AM, Feltman KA, Curry IP. A survey of fatigue in army aviators. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2018; 89(5):464-468.