Being a pilot means traveling to many destinations over a short time period and changing time zones frequently.
This can have an affect on you biologically and actually cause sleeping problems that can result in decreased job performance and health if not detected and treated properly.
The only person who really knows if you are having trouble sleeping and not getting enough sleep each night is you.
Most people that deal with sleeping disorders may not even notice they have a problem and attribute it to odd work hours, stress, and poor health.
To determine if you are experiencing issues sleeping during the night, you must first have some basic knowledge about your sleep patterns and factors in your life that can affect sleep.
Every part of your body has to work together to function properly.
When you deprive yourself of sleep, it actually disrupts other vital functions of your body.
This includes your circadian rhythm also known as you internal biological clock.
It regulates body functions according to your wake and sleep cycles.
Circadian rhythms are linked to eating patterns, brain wave activity, hormone production, cell regeneration, and other biological activities.
The result of an alteration or interruption of your circadian rhythm can be a circadian rhythm disorder.
Here is a small summary of the most common disorders associated with your biological clock.
Delayed sleep phase syndrome results in your normal sleep time being delayed by two or more hours.
You may experience late evening insomnia or be excessively sleepy in the morning.
People often have trouble falling asleep before two in the morning and have very short sleep periods during the week.
Depression and other disorders can develop due to the condition.
Advanced sleep phase syndrome is the opposite and you get tired long before you are supposed to.
Symptoms include being more sleepy in the evening, getting sleepy very early, and awakening very early in the morning.
Other disorders do exist and most have symptoms that involve being asleep or awake at odd times.
The first step in solving sleep issues and becoming a safer pilot is recognizing the symptoms.
If you are a pilot that believes you may be suffering from a circadian rhythm disorder, here are some things you can look for that might help.
You will have difficulty falling and remaining asleep.
Insomnia will occur late at night.
Daytime fatigue will become more and more of a problem.
You will have very little energy in the morning and a lot at night.
Things like concentrating and being alert will be more difficult for you.
You will often oversleep or have trouble getting around in the morning.
Mood changes will become more apparent and generally be negative.
Fatigue is the most crippling symptom of them all.
Signs of fatigue include overall discomfort, sleepiness, impaired decision-making, irritability, mood changes, and loss of interest.
Sleep disorders and pilots experiencing fatigue due to them are very dangerous when operating an aircraft.
Determining the cause and then alleviating the problem through personal changes or medical help will allow you to fly safely and perform at your best.