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Updated: Feb 22, 2026
Collecting Sleep, Circadian, Fatigue, and Performance Data in Complex Operational Environments
Published on: August 8, 2019
Estimating long-haul airline pilots' at-home baseline sleep duration
Lora J Wu1, Philippa H Gander1, Margo J van den Berg1
1Sleep/Wake Research Centre, PO Box 756, Massey University, Wellington, 6140, New Zealand.
Objective:
Characterize the baseline sleep of long-haul airline pilots.
Methods:
Sleep of 332 pilots (median age = 51 years, range = 23-64 years) from 4 airlines was measured by actigraphy while at home and off-duty and by retrospective estimate of the total amount of nighttime sleep usually obtained at home.
Results:
Mean actigraphic sleep per 24 hours during baseline periods was 6.8 hours (SD = 1.0 hour), 52 minutes shorter than mean self-reported usual nighttime sleep (7.6 hours, SD = 1.1 hours).
Conclusions:
Pilots' self-reported sleep duration was comparable to weekend sleep of men in general population samples, but their actigraphic baseline sleep was longer than objectively monitored sleep of other samples. Long-haul pilots routinely experience sleep restriction and circadian disruption across trips, both of which are implicated in increased health risks. We recommend that they be educated about the long-term importance for health of obtaining adequate sleep on off-duty days.
