Sleep measurement in flight crew: comparing actigraphic and subjective estimates to polysomnography.

Abstract

For estimating mean sleep duration, both actigraphic and subjective estimates are sufficiently close to PSG values, but the amount of random error must be considered. Any single estimate may vary by more than 1 h from the mean difference. Neither actigraphy nor subjective estimates are suitable for estimating sleep efficiency and latency. Findings indicate that the performance of the actigraph is not altered in flight, other than the predictable effects associated with shorter, more disturbed sleep.