Decrements in Human Performance During 72-84 Hours of Sustained Operations; Conference paper

摘要

Purpose: This study examined the effects of 3.5 days of sustained military operations (SUSOPS) on physical and cognitive performance and thermoregulatory responses to cold stress. Methods: Thirteen male soldiers participated in this study. The experiment consisted of 84-h (from 0600-h on Day 1 to 1800-h, Day 4) of physical activity with limited time allotted for sleep. Sleep was restricted by scheduling only limited blocks (1-h for each sleep period - total of 6- h). On the previous week, subjects were not sleep deprived or in a negative energy balance (CONTROL week). Subjects completed a battery of physical and cognitive performance tests and a cold-air test on each week at various time points. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that while decrements in a Soldier's physical performance can be expected during short term operational stress, these decrements are primarily restricted to tasks that recruit muscle groups that are over-utilized without given adequate recovery or during tasks that require high levels of persistence. The decrements in cognitive performance are similar to those observed in highly stressful field studies. These results also indicate that 84-h of SUSOPS leads to greater declines in core temperature, increasing susceptibility to hypothermia.