What is to be done?
Getting more sleep might help if your fatigue is caused by a shortage of ZZZ's. But if your problem is due to another fatigue-producing factor, you may be able to take advantage of these suggestions for propping your eyelids open.

	Stay healthy -- or take a sick day when you need it.
	Eat leaner food.
	Use ear plugs in noisy areas; turn on the air conditioner when you're hot.
	Examine your prescription drug intake; fatigue is a fairly common side effect.
	Find out if you have a treatable sleep disorder like sleep apnea (defined). If you think you do, check out a sleep disorder center.

Up in the sky
How can aircraft designers take advantage of the new information about fatigue? "Eventually," Simmons says, "you'd like to monitor the human like you do all the other systems." In a Boeing 777, he points out, the "only system that is not monitored is the human."

Boeing 777 flight deck. QuickTime VR folks, click on the image for a sweet looking view from the inside (140 Kb).

Is Simmons advocating a Big Brother approach to performance monitoring? Not exactly. He argues for monitoring that is "non-punitive, and non-intrusive." That means they won't fire you for nodding off on the job. And they won't be putting electrodes on your scalp. Instead, he says, a video camera might record changes in eye blink rate or pupil diameter, then issue a wake-up call before you crashed into an immovable object.

The National Eye Institute's blinking eye (457 Kb) can be seen in action by clicking on the pupil.

"Three years ago, most organizations would try to lynch me for this message about fatigue," Simmons says. "But we've started a cultural change in the airline industry, to say fatigue is an issue. Part of it is lifestyle, and you have to recognize lifestyle changes can be productive."

Fatigue, Simmons stresses, is "not a weakness in your employee."

Who could invent a name like the fatigue countermeasures program?

If you're still awake, check out this Fatigue Resource Directory.

Or move on to our list of resources.

There are 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 documents. (Glossary | Bibliography)