Differential 24-Hour Variation of Alertness and Subjective Tension in Process Controllers: Investigation of the Relationship with Body Temperature and Heart Rate

The effects of shift and time-on-shift on alertness and perceived tension, as well as related physiological variables, were investigated in satellite controllers working a rapid forward rotating three-shift system. In controlled laboratory conditions, subjective tension and HR have been reported to...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Chronobiology international 2008-01, Vol.25 (4), p.597-609
Main Authors: Cariou, Magali, Galy, Edith, Mélan, Claudine
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Alertness
Arousal
Body Temperature - physiology
Body Temperature Regulation
Circadian Rhythm - physiology
Cognitive science
Female
Heart Rate
Humanities and Social Sciences
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Neuroscience
Psycho-physiological measures
Psychology
Shift-work
Sleep - physiology
Subjective measures
Time
Time Factors
Time on shift
Wakefulness - physiology
Work Schedule Tolerance
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Summary:The effects of shift and time-on-shift on alertness and perceived tension, as well as related physiological variables, were investigated in satellite controllers working a rapid forward rotating three-shift system. In controlled laboratory conditions, subjective tension and HR have been reported to display circadian variation and marked sensitivity to external factors. We examined whether circadian variations were masked for these particular variables in real-job conditions, unlike for alertness and body temperature, which have been repeatedly shown to display circadian variation in these conditions. This hypothesis was tested in a repeated-measures design by collecting alertness and tension self-reports and recording operators' sublingual temperature on three occasions on each shift and HR continuously throughout shifts. Alertness and body temperature varied according to a typical diurnal trend; subjective tension was only enhanced on the initial recording of each shift (compared to the remaining ones), while HR displayed an intermediary trend. Intra-subject correlations revealed a positive relationship between alertness, oral temperature, and HR, while no such relationship was found for subjective tension. These results support the hypothesis of a close dependence of alertness and temperature, and to a lesser extent for HR, on endogenous mechanisms in this job-situation. In addition, some situation-specific factors, such as job-demand, would affect subjective tension and partially mask the circadian variations in HR.
ISSN:0742-0528
1525-6073
DOI:10.1080/07420520802261838