Understanding aircrew circadian resynchronization following time zone flights
The human body has evolved to maintain its biological functions in sync with the approximately 24-h environmental cycle caused by the Earth's rotation, forming a circadian rhythm akin to the day–night cycle. However, flight across time zones can disrupt this rhythm. Aircrew experience more seve...
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| Published in: | Engineering applications of artificial intelligence Vol. 141; p. 109849 |
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| Main Authors: | , , , |
| Format: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier Ltd
01.02.2025
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| Subjects: | |
| ISSN: | 0952-1976 |
| Online Access: | Get full text |
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| Summary: | The human body has evolved to maintain its biological functions in sync with the approximately 24-h environmental cycle caused by the Earth's rotation, forming a circadian rhythm akin to the day–night cycle. However, flight across time zones can disrupt this rhythm. Aircrew experience more severe jet lag symptoms compared to athletes or visitors who travel across time zones non-regularly, meaning it is crucial to address the occupational health issues arising from flights across time zones. Alleviating jet lag symptoms in aircrew necessitates exploration of the circadian adaptation following such flights. Therefore, it is essential to parameterise and validate a model to estimate the resynchronisation of aircrew's biological clocks with the day–night cycle in new time zones during stopovers after flights across time zones and after completing round-trip flights across different time zones. Empirical sleep data were collected from 127 pilots. Sleep metric data were gathered using wrist activity monitors during real commercial flight operations. By analysing those sleep metric data, the study validated the research hypothesis that circadian resynchronisation in aircrew after crossing time zones follows an exponential function. It also verified the parameters in the model of circadian adaptation: Aircrew's circadian rhythm phase adjustment rate is faster after flying westward rather than eastward across time zones, and there are two modes of ‘advance or delay’ in aircrew's circadian rhythm phase adjustment after flying eastward across time zones. Resultantly, this research offers a more accurate mathematical model of pilots' circadian adaptation rate, which can be used to predict and estimate the time course of aircrew's circadian resynchronisation with the day–night cycle in new time zones after flights across time zones. Moreover, this research can be used for the ‘re-synchronization of circadian rhythms of flight crews after flying across time zones’ by using artificial intelligence and intelligent computer program systems, such as expert systems. The proposed model can also predict and evaluate changes in the recovery of circadian disorders of pilots after flying across time zones, which can help the development of dynamic algorithms for real-time adjustments of work and rest schedules, providing immediate feedback and suggestions for adjustments to help aircrew adapt to new time zones more quickly. Further, the results can be integrated into the flight safety management system to collaborate with the health, safety, and operations management department and promote the application and development of artificial intelligence for health management and intelligent decision-making. |
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| ISSN: | 0952-1976 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.engappai.2024.109849 |