The Wright brothers probably never considered jet lag when they invented
the first powered flight in a heavier-than-air machine. Jet lag is the
physiological side effect of rapidly crossing several time zones, resulting
in disruption of the bodys circadian rhythms.
Almost a century later, with the dawn of modern air travel and shiftworkers
to support 24-hour operations, researchers are studying ways to prevent
and treat jet lag and the fatigue associated with shiftwork.
Circadian rhythms regulate sleep and wake cycles, and if the cycles
are disrupted, results include fatigue, decreased alertness, napping and
excessive daytime sleepiness, as well as nighttime insomnia. Not only are
pilots affected by these potentially dangerous conditions, but also people
working rotating shifts.
Lynne Farr, Ph.D., professor of the University of Nebraska Medical Center
College of Nursing in Omaha, has studied circadian rhythms for more than
20 years and has received a number of major grants from the National Aeronautical
and Space Administration, the National Institutes of Health and private
companies. She currently is co-principal investigator on a one-year, $42,420
NASA grant renewal funded by the Nebraska Experimental Program to Stimulate
Competitve Research through the University of Nebraska at Omaha Aviation
Institute.
She and her colleagues are looking for 40 pilots and air traffic controllers
to participate in the study. Participants will spend two short visits at
their home, work, or on campus with UNMC College of Nursing faculty. Participants
will log their activities, as well as wear small monitors for five days
that record activity and temperature. A $100 stipend will be paid.
Dr. Farrs colleagues are co-principal investigator, E.T. Foster,
Ph.D., an engineer at UNO and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and UNMC
graduate nursing students, Claudia Chaperon and Rose Bakewell.
Being well-rested is important to health and well-being, Dr. Farr
said. A lack of sleep causes fatigue, lethargy, insomnia, memory loss,
decrease in judgment and paranoia. Sleep deprivation can be dangerous.
Errors can occur and affect decreased reaction times and critical decision-making.
The Department of Transportation’s Office of Airline Information reports
in 1998, more than 546 million passengers traveled by air in the United
States on almost 8 million airline flights.
Dr. Farr said research can improve aviation safety and may also have
an economic impact in developing products that can alleviate jet lag.
We hope to be able to get a better picture of what kind of disruption
pilots and air traffic controllers are experiencing and develop ways to
reduce fatigue and jet lag by improving sleep at layover points, Dr. Farr
said. It will also help with shiftworkers such as air traffic controllers.
In order to reduce the effects of jet lag and shiftwork, interventions
to stabilize rhythms and reduce fatigue need to be developed, she said.
One of the challenges in studying circadian rhythms is body temperature
can fluctuate based on activity such as exercise or inactivity such as
sleep, and therefore, alter readings of true circadian rhythms.
“Studying someone with a stable lifestyle who works straight shifts
can give a good picture of the internal body clock but the real world doesnt
work this way. Thats why those of us in research are trying to find ways
to adjust the internal rhythms so people can adapt better in spite of the
things we have to do in our lives,” Dr. Farr said.
Dr. Farr said the research team will use mathematical applications to
try to isolate temperature measurement from other variables to get a better
picture of what the internal body clock is doing.
We have a method we think will give better results. Its like listening
to a radio broadcast with a lot of static and trying to find a way of getting
rid of the static so you can hear the broadcast better.
There are three things that affect the circadian sleep/wake rhythm:
body temperature; somnistatthe bodys need to sleep, which increases during
the day; and melatonina chemical produced in the brain which is thought
to regulate the sleep/wake cycle. To get good rest, the three must work
in harmony with each other.
“If the somnistat gets too high, you will eventually sleep, no matter
what the other cycles are doing. It may be an inappropriate time to sleep.
This is especially dangerous,” Dr. Farr said.
She said another complication in sleep deprivation is people look for
other ways to stay awake, such as drinking caffeinated beverages and sleeping
pills. Caffeine at certain times will speed up rhythms. It encourages
the clock to go the other way. It can keep you more alert while you are
drinking it, but it can be detrimental later.”
For more information about participating in the study, contact Dr. Farr
in Omaha at (402) 559-6634
or 559-6678.
UNMC is the only public academic health science center in the state.
Through its commitment to research, education and patient care, UNMC has
established itself as one of the country’s leading centers for cancer research
and treatment and solid organ transplantation. More than $34 million in
research grants and contracts are awarded to UNMC scientists annually.
In addition, UNMC’s educational programs are responsible for training more
health professionals practicing in Nebraska than any other institution.