Pilot Sleep in Long-Range and Ultra-Long-Range Commercial Flights

INTRODUCTION: Despite the clear need for understanding how pilot sleep affects performance during long-range (LR; 12-16h) and ultra-long-range (ULR; 16+h) flights, the scientific literature on the effects of sleep loss and circadian desynchronization on pilots' sleep in commercial aviation is sparse. METHODS: We assessed pilots'sleep timing, duration, and post-trip recovery on two LR and two ULR nonstop California to Australasia routes. Pilot's sleep/wake history was measured with actigraphy and verified by logbook across 8-9 d. RESULTS: Pilots averaged 8.210 +/- 1.687 SD hours of sleep per 24 h across the study period. A logistic model of the circadian timing of sleep indicated that time of day and phase of trip are significant predictors of pilots being asleep. Significant two- and three-way interactions were found between time of day, phase of trip, and route. A significant difference in average sleep time was observed between baseline and recovery day 1 for one route. All other recovery days and routes were not significantly different from baseline. DISCUSSION: For the four routes, the average amount of sleep per 24-h period during the study period was within the normal range with the circadian rhythm aligned to home-base time pre-and post-trip. Flight segments and layover conditions were associated with a misalignment of sleep relative to circadian rhythm, with layover sleep appearing to shift toward the local night Full post-trip sleep duration recovery appears to occur for all routes within 1-2 d.