The performance and mental effort in a memory search task were studied in relation to length of preceding working times and the scheduling of intermittent rest pauses during work. Performance was measured by reaction time and percentage of missed signals. Mental effort was measured by means of the 0.10 Hz component in the spectral analysis of the heart rhythm signal. It was found that subjects protected their performance by spending more effort in the more unfavourable conditions: after several hours of work and after continuous work without breaks. In the most unfavourable condition, after 8 hours of work combined with sleep loss, the efficiency of the information processing was broken down. Performance was no longer protected by effort. This phenomenon is interpreted as a serious sign of mental fatigue.
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