Behavioural Reactivation and Subjective Assessment of the State of Vigilance—Application to Simulated Car Driving

The frequency of some behaviour (such as self-centred gestures) increases during a task that leads to the occurrence of low-vigilance episodes. These gestures can be useful in stimulating oneself. A study carried out in 20 adults has enabled us to state that motor activity (recorded with an actimeter) increases with the duration of a monotonous driving task and sleep deprivation. The analysis of the scores recorded using the Karolinska Sleepiness Scale has shown that drivers can assess the deterioration of their state of vigilance according to the actual sleep preceding the driving test. Finally, the joint analysis of the subjective and objective data revealed a co-variation of these two types of indices. We discuss the stimulatory function of the motor activity in a task leading to the occurrence of low-vigilance episodes by investigating, among other things, the use, conscious or not, of this type of activity.

[1]  J. Horne,et al.  Evaluation "in-car" countermeasures to sleepiness: cold air and radio. , 1998, Sleep.

[2]  G Maycock,et al.  Sleepiness and driving: the experience of U.K. car drivers. , 1997, Accident; analysis and prevention.

[3]  H. Middelkoop,et al.  45-hour continuous quintuple-site actimetry: relations between trunk and limb movements and effects of circadian sleep-wake rhythmicity. , 1997, Psychophysiology.

[4]  M. Bonnet,et al.  Level of arousal and the ability to maintain wakefulness , 1999, Journal of sleep research.

[5]  A. Daurat,et al.  Effect of bright light at night on core temperature, subjective alertness and performance as a function of exposure time. , 1998, Scandinavian journal of work, environment & health.

[6]  Simon Folkard,et al.  Multi-oscillatory control of circadian rhythms in human performance , 1983, Nature.

[7]  K Kishida,et al.  Temporal change of subsidiary behavior in monotonous work. , 1973, Journal of human ergology.

[8]  J. Waterhouse,et al.  Anchor sleep as a synchronizer of rhythms on abnormal routines. , 1981, International journal of chronobiology.

[9]  M. Bonnet,et al.  The impact of music upon sleep tendency as measured by the multiple sleep latency test and maintenance of wakefulness test , 2000, Physiology & Behavior.

[10]  J. Horne,et al.  Counteracting driver sleepiness: effects of napping, caffeine, and placebo. , 1996, Psychophysiology.

[11]  D. Dinges.  An overview of sleepiness and accidents , 1995, Journal of sleep research.

[12]  J. Horne,et al.  Suppression of sleepiness in drivers: combination of caffeine with a short nap. , 1997, Psychophysiology.

[14]  J Rogé,et al.  Variations of the level of vigilance and of behavioural activities during simulated automobile driving. , 2001, Accident; analysis and prevention.

[15]  A. T. Welford,et al.  The fundamentals of skill , 1968 .

[16]  T. Åkerstedt,et al.  Subjective and objective sleepiness in the active individual. , 1990, The International journal of neuroscience.

[17]  D. F. Neri,et al.  Simulated Sustained Flight Operations and Performance, Part 2: Effects of Dextro-Methamphetamine , 1992 .

[18]  A Drory,et al.  Effects of Rest and Secondary Task on Simulated Truck-Driving Task Performance , 1985, Human factors.

[19]  J K Walsh,et al.  Two- and 4-hour bright-light exposures differentially effect sleepiness and performance the subsequent night. , 1994, Sleep.

[20]  L A Reyner,et al.  Sleep related vehicle accidents: some guides for road safety policies , 2001 .

[21]  A. Muzet,et al.  Effects of Noise on Sleep Inertia as a Function of Circadian Placement of a One-Hour Nap , 1992, Perceptual and motor skills.

[22]  K Matsumoto,et al.  The effect of night-time naps on recovery from fatigue following night work. , 1994, Ergonomics.

[23]  G. Kecklund,et al.  Relations between performance and subjective ratings of sleepiness during a night awake. , 1994, Sleep.

[24]  W B Verwey,et al.  Preventing drowsiness accidents by an alertness maintenance device. , 1999, Accident; analysis and prevention.

[25]  D. Batéjat,et al.  Some measures to reduce effects of prolonged sleep deprivation , 1995, Neurophysiologie Clinique/Clinical Neurophysiology.

[26]  K. Matsumoto,et al.  Effects of nighttime nap and age on sleep patterns of shift workers. , 1987, Sleep.