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 Risk of Performance Errors due to Sleep Loss,Circadian Desynchronization, Fatigue, and Work Overload Alexandra M. Whitmire Wyle Integrated Science and Engineering Group

Lauren B. Leveton NASA Johnson Space Center

Laura Barger Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital

George Brainard Jefferson Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University David F. Dinges University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and Drexel University Elizabeth Klerman Brigham and Women's Hospital Camille Shea Universities Space Research Association

Fatigue occurs during spaceflight and will jeopardize health and performance. This risk may be influenced by artificial and transmitted light exposure, individual vulnerability to sleep loss and circadian dynamics, and work/sleep schedules. Efforts are needed to improve sleep hygiene, and to identify and improve conditions that interfere with sleep quality. Research areas may include: development of a self-assessment tool f or cognitive function and fatigue, light therapy for phase shifting, alertness and mood disorders, and other means to improve sleep quality and reduce fatigue. Human Research Program Requirements Document, HRP-47052, Rev. C, dated Jan 2009.

Sleep accommodations on short-duration space shuttle flights were Spartan (as shown here), but sleep stations on board the International Space Station strive to provide a stable, comfortable, dark, and quiet environment to encourage the quality and quantity of sleep essential to optimize crew performance and health. Risk of Performance Errors Due to Sleep Loss, Circadian Desynchronization, Fatigue, and Work Overload

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