Within the aviation industry, sleep deprivation and fatigue are common amongst aviation professionals. The United States’ based National Sleep Foundation found that 23% of pilots have had their jobs affected by sleeplessness, 23% of pilots have had their jobs affected by sleeplessness and 20% admitted to “serious” errors due to their fatigue.
Studies have shown that the fatigue caused by lack of sleep has huge consequences for the mental health of pilots and other aviation professionals. If the work-life balance is out of sync – where proper sleep and rest is adequate – pilots are putting pressure on their own mental stability. Furthermore, this puts both them and their passengers, co-pilots and staff members at risk.
Sleep deprivation puts pilots’ bodies to the test – risking the lives of passengers and crew
In 2016, a FlyDubai flight crashed as it attempted to land in Russia during a storm, with all 55 passengers and 7 crew dying on board. The subsequent investigation showed that pilot fatigue was a likely contributing factor to the crash. Documents from the airline also showed that pilots were often pushed to their limits in regards to the number of hours they were flying.
There are safeguards in place to look for potential sleep disorders in pilots, such as medical examinations to prove they don’t have sleep apnea or restless leg syndrome before receiving a pilot’s license. However, there are a number of cases where pilots have gained their license and displayed symptoms of these disorders later. When pilots notice that their mental health is suffering, they should take a step back and reassess what a good work-life balance is. Recognising signs of burnout, such as anxiety, depression, insomnia, warped concentration and limited appetite, is critical to making sure that the workload isn’t causing overbearing pressure on pilots lives.