Comparison of Royal Canadian Navy Watchstanding Schedules.

Introduction: Life on board a naval vessel is exceptionally demanding. Workdays for naval sailors can quite easily become 18+ hours long when watch schedules, training, and drills/evolutions are taken into account. Rotating watches and short off-watch periods can force sailors into a biphasic sleep pattern that is not sufficiently restful or a rotating pattern that is impossible to adapt to.

The Importance of Validating Sleep Behavior Models for Fatigue Management Software in Military Aviation.

Introduction: The propensity for air mobility missions to exhaust aircrews is strongly dependent on operational tempo. Most flying is performed during periods of low to moderate operational tempo, but a major flight safety risk can emerge when operational tempo becomes very high. This risk can be managed by software tools that contain fatigue and sleep behavior modeling, but optimization/validation of the model using the specific target population is required to ensure that the modeled predictions are accurate.

Blunted Nocturnal Salivary Melatonin Secretion Profiles in Military-Related Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.

Sleep disturbances are a hallmark of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), yet few studies have evaluated the role of dysregulated endogenous melatonin secretion in this condition. This study compared the sleep quality and nocturnal salivary melatonin profiles of Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) personnel diagnosed with PTSD, using the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS score ≥50), with two healthy CAF control groups; comprising, a "light control" (LC) group with standardized evening light exposure and "normal control" (NC) group without light restriction. Participants were monitored for 1-week using wrist actigraphy to assess sleep quality, and 24-h salivary melatonin levels were measured (every 2h) by immunoassay on the penultimate day in a dim-light (< 5 lux) laboratory environment.

Sleep deficits in the High Arctic summer in relation to light exposure and behaviour: use of melatonin as a countermeasure.

Background: There are conflicting reports regarding seasonal sleep difficulties in polar regions. Herein we report differences in actigraphic sleep measures between two summer trials (collected at Canadian Forces Station Alert, 82.5°N, in 2012 and 2014) and evaluate exogenous melatonin for preventing/treating circadian phase delay due to nocturnal light exposure.

Sleep and the endogenous melatonin rhythm of high arctic residents during the summer and winter.

The seasonal extremes of photoperiod in high latitudes place particular strain on the human circadian system. Arctic residence has been associated with poor sleep in both summer and winter. The goal of the work reported here was to study the circadian rhythms of individuals living in the high Arctic by measuring sleep variables and the timing of melatonin production.

Light treatment improves sleep quality and negative affectiveness in high arctic residents during winter.

The seasonal extremes of photoperiod in the high Arctic place particular strain on the human circadian system, which leads to trouble sleeping and increased feelings of negative affect in the winter months. To qualify for our study, potential participants had to have been at Canadian Forces Station (CFS) Alert (82° 30' 00″ N) for at least 2 weeks. Subjects filled out questionnaires regarding sleep difficulty, psychological well-being and mood and wore Actigraphs to obtain objective sleep data.

Phase advance with separate and combined melatonin and light treatment.

Introduction: Melatonin and light treatment are recommended for hastening adaptation to time zone change. We evaluated an afternoon regimen of 3 mg sustained release (SR) melatonin with and without next morning green light treatment for circadian phase advance. Effects of melatonin and light were tested separately and then combined to determine if the total phase change is additive or synergistic.

Melatonin treatment for eastward and westward travel preparation.

Introduction: Melatonin is recommended for hastening adaptation to phase shift, but there is little information on appropriate formulations.

Materials And Methods: We evaluated the efficacy of three melatonin formulations for circadian phase advance and delay: (a) 3 mg regular release (RR), (b) 3 mg sustained release (SR), and (c) 3 mg surge-sustained release (SSR; consisting of 1 mg RR and 2 mg SR). Circadian phase was assessed by salivary melatonin dim light melatonin onset (DLMO) or offset (MelOff) using thresholds of (1) 1.

Timing light treatment for eastward and westward travel preparation.

Jet lag degrades performance and operational readiness of recently deployed military personnel and other travelers. The objective of the studies reported here was to determine, using a narrow bandwidth light tower (500 nm), the optimum timing of light treatment to hasten adaptive circadian phase advance and delay. Three counterbalanced treatment order, repeated measures studies were conducted to compare melatonin suppression and phase shift across multiple light treatment timings.

Fatigue countermeasures in aviation.

Pilot fatigue is a significant problem in modern aviation operations, largely because of the unpredictable work hours, long duty periods, circadian disruptions, and insufficient sleep that are commonplace in both civilian and military flight operations. The full impact of fatigue is often underappreciated, but many of its deleterious effects have long been known. Compared to people who are well-rested, people who are sleep deprived think and move more slowly, make more mistakes, and have memory difficulties.

SSRI effects on pyschomotor performance: assessment of citalopram and escitalopram on normal subjects.

Introduction: Standard aeromedical doctrine dictates that aircrew receiving treatment for depression are grounded during treatment and follow-up observation, generally amounting to at least 1 yr. The Canadian Forces has initiated a program to return selected aircrew being treated for depression to restricted flying duties once stabilized on an approved antidepressant with resolution of depression. The currently approved medications are sertraline (a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) and bupropion (noradrenaline and dopamine reuptake inhibitor).

Circadian phase delay induced by phototherapeutic devices.

Introduction: The Canadian Forces has initiated a multiple study project to optimize circadian phase changes using appropriately timed phototherapy and/or ingestion of melatonin for those personnel on long-range deployments and shift workers. The work reported here compared four phototherapeutic devices for efficacy in effecting circadian phase delays.

Methods: In a partially counterbalanced treatment order, 14 subjects (7 men and 7 women), ages 18-51 yr, participated in 5 weekly experimental sessions of phototherapy with 4 different phototherapy devices (light tower, light visor, Litebook, LED spectacles) and a no-phototherapy control.

Motion-sickness medications for aircrew: impact on psychomotor performance.

Introduction: Motion sickness remains a significant problem for aircrew both in the flying environment (airsickness) and for aircrew deployed at sea (seasickness). While some anti-motion-sickness medications provide reasonable efficacy, adverse neurocognitive effects limit their use in military personnel engaged in safety-sensitive operational roles such as flying. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact on psychomotor performance of promethazine, meclizine, and dimenhydrinate and to determine if the addition of pseudoephedrine or damphetamine to promethazine would ameliorate its adverse effects.

Sleep-inducing pharmaceuticals: a comparison of melatonin, zaleplon, zopiclone, and temazepam.

Introduction: Current military operations often require pharmaceutical methods to sustain alertness and facilitate sleep in order to maintain operational readiness. This study was designed to compare the sleep-inducing power of four medications.

Method: There were 9 men and 14 women, ages 21-53 yr, who were assessed for psychomotor performance before and for 7 h after ingestion of a single dose of placebo, zaleplon 10 mg, zopiclone 7.

Melatonin and zopiclone as facilitators of early circadian sleep in operational air transport crews.

Introduction: This study was an extension into an operational setting of previous laboratory work investigating the use of zopiclone and melatonin to facilitate early circadian sleep in transport aircrew. The previous laboratory-based study demonstrated that both melatonin and zopiclone were effective in inducing early circadian sleep without impacting on psychomotor performance after a 7-h sleep period.

Methods: In a repeated measures, placebo-controlled protocol, 30 aircrew flew 3 transatlantic missions over which they took each of the 3 medications (placebo, sustained-release melatonin 2 mg, or zopiclone 5 mg) at an early body clock time (17:00) during their first stopover.

Impact of melatonin, zaleplon, zopiclone, and temazepam on psychomotor performance.

Introduction: Modern military operations may require pharmaceutical methods to sustain alertness and facilitate sleep in order to maintain operational readiness. In operations with very limited sleep windows, hypnotics with very short half-lives (e.g.

The impact of Malarone and primaquine on psychomotor performance.

Introduction: Recent evidence has established the effectiveness of Malarone and primaquine for chemoprophylaxis against Plasmodium falciparum malaria. Both have the advantage of providing causal prophylaxis and therefore require continued dosing for only 1 wk after departure from a malaria endemic area. Canadian Forces aircrews are often placed in situations that put them at risk for malaria infection but the safety of these drugs for use in aircrew has not been ascertained.

The impact of bupropion on psychomotor performance.

Introduction: The NDRI (noradrenalin-dopamine re-uptake inhibitor) bupropion SR (sustained-release) is marketed as Wellbutrin* for treatment of depression or Zyban as a smoking cessation aid. There has been considerable interest in the possibility of returning aircrew to restricted flying duties once stabilized on bupropion SR after resolution of depressive symptoms, or while taking bupropion SR for smoking cessation. This study was undertaken to determine whether bupropion SR affects psychomotor performance.

The impact of sertraline on psychomotor performance.

Introduction: Aircrew receiving treatment for depression are grounded during treatment and follow-up observation, generally amounting to at least 1 yr. Selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRls) offer new treatment options for depression, of which sertraline (Zoloft) has the least imposing side-effect profile. There has been considerable interest in the possibility of returning aircrew to restricted flying duties once stablized on an SSRI with resolution of depression.