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The Effects of Polyphasic and Ultrashort Sleep Schedules

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Why We Nap

Abstract

Despite the considerable research conducted in the last three decades on relatively regular shift-work systems, the problems associated with unusual schedules, especially during conditions of intensive work, have received very limited attention. But such quasi-continuous work situations are becoming increasingly common in industrialized societies. Some of these extended work scenarios involve performance of essential services in industries such as health care, transport, and nuclear electrical power, while others involve high-responsibility tasks in extreme situations, such as rescue operations, space missions, and defense efforts. In some situations the demands of continuous performance cannot easily be met simply by sharing work through conventional shift scheduling. In such situations of extreme demand the usual adult human monophasic sleep pattern (one 6–8 hr sleep episode per 24 hr) can rarely be maintained, resulting in an accumulated sleep debt. This debt can cause a serious decrease in performance effectiveness, and compromise decision-making capabilities during critical operations.

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Authors
  1. Claudio Stampi
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Circadian Physiology, Sleep and Alertness Research Unit, 677 Beacon Street, Boston, MA, 02215-3203, USA

    Claudio Stampi

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© 1992 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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Stampi, C. (1992). The Effects of Polyphasic and Ultrashort Sleep Schedules. In: Stampi, C. (eds) Why We Nap. Birkhäuser, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-2210-9_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-2210-9_10

  • Publisher Name: Birkhäuser, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4757-2212-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4757-2210-9

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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