Effects of sleep and fatigue on teams in a submarine environment

Abstract

Successful submarine operations rely on the performance of tactical teams who must work under conditions of physiological and cognitive fatigue. Sleep loss and circadian disruption contribute to fatigue in this setting and, although the effects of this fatigue have been studied extensively in individuals, little is understood about how fatigue impacts team performance – especially in a submarine environment. The present review provides an overview of the fatigue on submarine teams and is divided into four main sections: A discussion of factors that should be considered in team fatigue research. An outline of how sleep and circadian rhythms of submariners are impacted by submarine-specific factors. A discussion of the known effects of fatigue from sleep loss and circadian disruption on individual performance. A consideration of how this fatigue impacts team performance. As the submarine force has recognized the need to protect submariner sleep and improve team dynamics, it is vital that future research accounts for the interplay between these two factors.