Sleep Depravation in the Work Place:

It is a known fact that not getting enough sleep is and can be hazardous while on the job.  It may cause you to be slow in thought and reaction, have poor concentration your ability to process information is negatively affected.

Not only can lack of sleep affect your ability at work, it can have a lasting impact on your physical health.

You could develop:

  1. High Blood Pressure
  2. Heart Attacks
  3. Heart Failure
  4. Diabetes
  5. Obesity
  6. Anxiety
  7. Depression
  8. Stomach Problems
  9. Abnormalities in monthly issues (Ladies)
  10. Colds
  11. The Flu
  12. Family and Social Difficulties
  13. Negative Cholesterol Levels

People who sleep fewer that 6 hours a night do not live as long as someone that gets 7 or more hours of sleep each night.

Lack of sleep will lead to fatigue and there are several negative affects caused by fatigue.

Fatigue Related Accidents: Fatigue is a silent killer on the roads and could be responsible for 30% of deaths and a bigger percentage of serious injury crashes, leaving many people in wheelchairs or worse for the rest of their lives

Who is @ Risk?

  1. Medical personnel
  2. Shift workers
  3. People who work long shifts
  4. Students
  5. Those who “Socialize” into the wee morning hours

What can be done? (Prevention is the Key)

  1. Practice good sleep habits
  2. Avoid Caffeine during the last half of your work day
  3. Avoid Nicotine close to bedtime
  4. Limit greasy and spicy foods
  5. Limit Alcohol: It may help you fall asleep faster but it makes it difficult to stay asleep.
  6. Avoid stimulating activities prior to going to bed
    1. Reading a thriller
    2. Watching TV
    3. Balancing your check book
  7. Play white noise to block out noises and wear ear plugs
  8. Darken you room with shades – Or Glad Bags… LOL
  9. Only use your bed for sleeping and “Sleeping”
  10. Night shift workers may find the sunlight stimulates wakefulness so try dark sunglasses or wraparounds if you are up a little during the day

Circadian Rhythms:

This is your natural biological clock or you may call it your 24 hour cycle.  Most people are in sync with the Sun and Moon. Some people however get messed up by working shift work.  It can be changed with light therapy, where you are exposed to hi intensity lighting.

Tracy White, PHI Air Medical - Kentucky

 

Safety Corner

Safety in the Air Medical Industry is the number one priority. It starts in the communication center with the Communications Specialist. The Communication Specialist must be able to recognize several safety concerns.

Probably the most important is changing weather conditions. The Communication Specialist should have access to continuously monitor the weather and share any updated information with the on duty pilot & flight crews.

Another concern is crew fatigue. The Communications Specialist should be able to identify crew fatigue. Simply by observing the crew.

  • How many missions has the crew done during the shift
  • Has the crew had proper time for nourishment ( meal time )
  • Observe the attitude of the crew
  • Observe how the crew deals with situational awareness

If there is more than one Communication Specialist in the comm. Center they should identify the same with each other. Communication Specialist also works long hours and are subject to fatigue.

Let’s take look at illness for a moment, if a crew member is not feeling feel are they really operating at 100%? Probably not, does this affect ones judgment, I would have to agree. We should be on extra guard if this occurs.

In summary, Safety starts and ends with the Communication Specialist in the Communication Center, Identifying safety concerns must play an integral role in the day to day operations of the communication center.