Effect of Countermeasures on Nocturnal Driving Performance — KILLSLEEP  

Sleepiness Clinical Trial

Official title: Countermeasures for Sleepiness at the Wheel and Prediction of Inter- Individual Differences to Their Responses (KillSleep)

Status Completed

Clinical Trial Summary

Sleep deprivation induces degradation of night-time driving ability via sleepiness. Because of conflicts between physiological needs and social or professional activities, it is necessary to develop affordable countermeasure to sleepiness. In real-life driving studies, nap and coffee are efficient countermeasures of sleepiness at the wheel. However the effect of caffeine is quick but brief and varies between individuals. There is a need for more knowledge in order to know what to recommend to drivers. Exposure to 460-nm monochromatic light (blue light) decreases subjective sleepiness and improves performances. One objective of this project is to investigate whether blue light exposure during driving would be useful in a real driving situation when sleepiness becomes acute. Owing to the fact that our knowledge of the effects of exercise on driving is very sparse and to the absolutely need to standardize the bouts of exercise that will be applied to the subjects. One objective of the present study will be to investigate in a simulator study the effects of a bout of moderate exercise on participants driving ability when sleepiness becomes acute. Nocturnal neurobehavioral performance varies widely between individuals and only certain subjects seem significantly affected by sleep loss. It is of interest to find biological markers for sleep drive to identify vulnerable drivers to sleep deprivation or to identify responders to sleepiness countermeasures (i.e., coffee and blue light). One objective of this study is to determine individual differences (genetic, hormonal and cognitive) in the impairment of driving skills induced by sleep loss and in the efficiency of countermeasures (blue light and coffee).

Clinical Trial Description

n/a

Study Design

Allocation: Non-Randomized, Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment, Masking: Open Label, Primary Purpose: Basic Science

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Sleepiness

• NCT number: NCT01070004
• Study type: Interventional
• Source: University Hospital, Bordeaux
• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: January 2010
• Completion date: August 2011