Reduced alertness is common during night driving. Light treatment may constitute one countermeasure to reduce sleepiness. To test this idea six professional drivers participated in this study in which they self-administered a 30-min. light treatment during a break in the middle of a night drive of about 9 hours. Two experimental conditions were used, including light exposures with a light box and a light visor. There was a control condition. Alertness was measured on a 100-mm visual analogue scale. No significant effect of light was found, but ratings of sleepiness increased significantly through the night drive. The experimental light treatment was not correlated with any increased wakefulness compared to the drivings where no extra light exposures were carried out.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
ÅkerstedtT.LandströmU.ByströmM.NordströmB., & WibomR. (2003) Bright light as a sleepiness prophylactic: A laboratory study of subjective ratings and EEG. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 97, 811–819.
2.
AveryD. H.KizerD.BolteM. A., & HelleksonC. (2001) Bright light therapy of subsyndromal seasonal affective disorder in the workplace: Morning vs. afternoon exposure. Acta Psychiatria Scandinavia, 103, 267–274.
3.
BadiaP.MyersB.BoeckerM., & CulpepperJ. (1991) Bright light effects on body temperature, alertness, EEG and behavior. Physiology and Behaviour, 50, 1–10.
4.
CaajochenC.ZeitzerJ. M.CzeislerC. A., & DijkD-J. (2000) Dose-response relationship for light intensity and ocular and electroencephalographic correlates of human alertness. Behaviour and Brain Research, 115, 75–83.
5.
CampbellS. S., & DawsonD. (1990) Enhancement of nighttime alertness and performance with bright ambient light. Physiology and Behaviour, 48, 317–320.
6.
CzeislerC. A.RichardsonG. S.ZimmermanM. C.Moore-EdeM. C., & WeitzmanE. D. (1981) Entrainment of human circadian rhythms by light-dark cycles. Photochemistry and Photobiology, 34, 239–247.
7.
DijkD-J.BoulosZ.EastmanC.LewyA.CampbellS., & TermanM. (1995) Light treatment for sleep disorders: Consensus report: II. Basic properties of circadian physiology and sleep regulation. Journal of Biological Rhythms, 10, 113–125.
8.
ForetJ.DauratA., & TirillyG. (1998) Effect of bright light at night on core temperature, subjective alertness and performance as a function of exposure time. Scandinavian Journal of Work Environmental Health, 24, 115–120.
9.
HamelinP. (1987) Lorry driver's time habits in work and their involvement in traffic accidents. Ergonomics, 30, 1323–1333.
10.
HarrisW. (1977) Fatigue, circadian rhythm and truck accidents. In MackieR. R. (Ed.), Vigilance.New York: Plenum. Pp. 133–147.
11.
HeitmannA.StampiC.LermanS. E.BurkeP. E., & Moore-EdeM. (1995) Effectiveness of moderately bright control-room lighting in improving operator alertness and performance at night: A pilot study at a chemical plant.Cambridge, MA: Institute for Circadian Physiology.
12.
HorneJ., & ReynerL. (1999) Vehicle accidents related to sleep: A review. Occupational Environmental Medicine, 56, 289–294.
13.
HorneJ. A., & FosterS. C. (1995) Can exercise overcome sleepiness?Sleep Research, 24A. [Abstract]
14.
HorneJ. A., & ReynerL. A. (1996) Counteracting driver sleepiness: Effects of napping, caffeine and placebo. Psychophysiology, 33, 306–309.
15.
KecklundG., & ÅkerstedtT. (1993) Sleepiness in long distance truck driving: An ambulatory EEG study of night driving. Ergonomics, 36, 1007–1017.
16.
LandströmU.EnglundK.NordströmB., & ÅströmA. (1998) Laboratory studies of a sound system that maintains wakefulness. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 86, 147–161.
17.
MaycockG. (1996) Sleepiness and driving: The experience of UK car drivers. Journal of Sleep Research, 5, 229–237.
18.
MyersB. L., & BadiaP. (1993) Immediate effects of different light intensities on body temperature and alertness. Physiology and Behaviour, 54, 199–202.
19.
National Transportation Safety Board. (1999) Evaluation of U.S. Department of Transportation: Efforts in the 1990s to address operation fatigue. (Safety Report NTSB/SR-99/01) Washington, DC: National Transportation Safety Board.
20.
ReynerL. A., & HorneJ. A. (1998) Falling asleep whilst driving: Are drivers aware of prior sleepiness?International Journal of Legal Medicine, 111, 120–123.
21.
StoohsR. A.GuilleminaultC.ItoiA., & DementW. C. (1994) Traffic accidents in commercial long-haul truck drivers: The influence of sleep-disordered breathing and obesity. Sleep, 17, 619–623.
22.
WrightK. P.Jr.BadiaP.MyersB. L., & PlenzlerS. C. (1997) Combination of bright light and caffeine as a countermeasure for impaired alertness and performance during extended sleep deprivation. Journal of Sleep Research, 6, 26–35.
