Circadian Rhythm Watchbill

CSUMB Team Circadian

Daniel Wang, Qaisar Shah, Nina Gill
Sleep is fuel!
 Survey

Let’s take the survey

Introduction
What is Crew Endurance

Their ability to maintain optimal warfighting

performance while enduring the job-related
physical, psychological, and environmental
challenges.
Why Crew Endurance?

To ensure mission accomplishment.

Performance and safety.

Morale.

Physical and mental health consequences

Circadian Watchbill

The regular schedule for every 24-hours of a day where

busy work-rest routine of individuals is balanced

Time for all activities, including eating, sleeping and

working are scheduled for the 24-hour clock, regularly.

Effect: Helps align human body with the natural 24-hour

rhythm necessary for the biological processes.
Circadian Watchbill
Vs.

Non-circadian watchbill
routine
Circadian Watchbill:
Improves operational readiness, enhance
productivity, reduce stress and improves morale.

Facilitates to achieve healthier life, combat

effectiveness, and better crew endurance and
readiness onboard navy ships with minimal cost and
disruption.
Importance of Good Sleep
Sleep is a weapon. A clear mind is a combat edge.

Losing sleep negatively affects performance tasks,

including vigilance, monitoring and safety.

Work-rest schedules affect performance if this natural

rhythm is disrupted.

Degrades performance in changing circumstances.

Causes accidents
Less sleep causes fatigue

Fatigue has been found responsible for:

Negative effects on readiness, effectiveness, and
safety, poor crew endurance. At emergency
situations, may threaten the mission requirements.

A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in a

doctor’s book (Irish Proverb)
 How your choices can
either reduce or increase
your fatigue level
 10 habits of the well-rested and
highly energetic person.
1.Maintain a 24-hour sleep/wake schedule.
2.Go to sleep at a consistent time each day.
3.Keep your sleeping quarters cool, dark, and quiet.
4.Minimize the use of electronic devices before bedtime.
5.Avoid caffeine and large meals late in the day.
6.Get a moderate amount of exercise in the middle of the
day.
7.Take brief naps to relax and recharge during the day.
8.Use small amounts of coffee to get through lulls in the day.
9.Divide repetitive tasks up throughout the day to avoid
monotony.
10.Catch up on missed sleep during off days/weekends.
 Does the habit on your card
cause this?
• The consequence: You feel tired all the time
• You want to sleep, but it’s important to stay
in touch with friends and family members
• You think it’s OK to get things out of the way
and sleep later.
Cause: 1. Using sleep time to catch up on work
or correspondence.
 Does the habit on your card
cause this?

• The consequence: You went to bed right after

a hard shift, slept throughout the assigned
sleep hours, but woke feeling like you didn’t
sleep much
• You remember waking periodically feeling hot
and uncomfortable
Cause: 2. Going to bed in work clothes
 Does the habit on your
card cause this?
• The consequence: you couldn’t stay asleep
during the assigned sleep time, and woke
feeling still fatigued
• There were noises and light in your sleeping
area that woke you frequently
Cause: 3. Going to sleep in a noisy and lit area
without wearing eyemask and earplugs
 Does the habit on your card
cause this?
• The consequence: you woke feeling like you
didn’t sleep much, even though you did sleep
• The usual number of hours, in the same old
bunk, at the same sleep time
• You recall it was cold, you had a tall cup of hot
coco before bed.
Cause: 4. Drinking a large mug of hot
caffeinated drink (coffee, coco, etc.) 15 minutes
before going to sleep.
 Does the habit on your card
cause this?
• The consequence: You woke with a headache
and feeling unrested, even though you slept…
• The usual number of hours, in the same old
bunk, at the same sleep time
• You were on leave, so you drank a few shots
with your buddies. Doesn’t alcohol relax the
body and help a person sleep?
Cause: 5. Drinking an alcoholic beverage before
going to sleep
 Does the habit on your card
cause this?
• The consequence: You went to bed at the
same time every day, stay in bed for the same
number of hours, but you never feel refreshed
• Even though you take something every night
to help you fall asleep
• And the more you take this, the more you
need it to fall asleep.
Cause: 6. Taking sleeping pills
 Does the habit on your
card cause this?

• The consequence: Strange, you now have

trouble falling asleep, even though you didn’t
have trouble sleeping before, and nothing’s
changed in your sleep location or
environment
• Oh well, might as well play some video
games
Cause: 7. You were exposed to light from
electronic devices, especially blue light
Survey
Learners will Share a
Personal Experience or
first-hand knowledge,
where sleep
deprivation resulted in
harm at a group level.
Learners will predict from the activity
cards, which among ten will fall
asleep on their watch duties in the
subsequent shift.
Learners Will Read the Scenario Cards
and predict which sailors would be
unreliable at the subsequent watch
duties.
● Sailor 1 took a sleeping pill 30 minutes before the
protected sleep time.
● Sailor 2 drank a large cup of coffee right before the
protected sleep time.
● Sailor 3 spent one hour from the protected sleep
time to pray or meditate.
● Sailor 4 ate a cheese burger, French fries, and a
milkshake just before protected sleep time.
● Sailor 5 spent two hours playing video games just
prior to entering protected sleep.
● Sailor 6 had a hard time falling asleep initially, but
stayed in a restful position until sleep finally comes.
● Sailor 7 makes a long call to try to fix a troubled
relationship with his/her partner at the beginning of
the protected sleep time.
● Sailor 8 puts in earplugs and uses an eyemask at the
beginning of protected sleep time.
● Sailor 9 drinks half-cup of water before the
protected sleep time.
● Sailor 10 consumed 3 energy drinks just prior to
protected sleep time.
Feedback and
Review
Who is in
control?
 References
The Crew Endurance Handbook; A guide to applying circadian-
based watchbills.
Horne, J. A. (1988). Why We Sleep: The Functions of Sleep in
Humans and Other Mammals (1988).
Killgore, W. D., Balkin, T. J., and Wesensten, N. J. (2006).
Impaired Decision Making Following 49 Hours of Sleep
Deprivation.
Moundalexis, McKneely, Fitzpatrick and Sheffer (2011).
Understanding and Enhancing Crew Endurance.
http://www.jhuapl.edu/techdigest/TD/td3001/Moundalexis
.pdf
Wang, D. (2017, December 28). Practical steps to facilitate
learners’ metamorphosis. Presentation at the 2017 HPDP,
Monterey, CA.