"Why we sleep" by Matthew Walker. An odd Christmas present but one that got my attention. It is utterly jaw-dropping.
I suspect it might be a tad expensive but by some means I recommend laying hands on it. I suspect it's not something an airline would buy for the crew room.
The book is presented by a superb scientist and writer. It's hard to imagine there could be a more qualified person in the world.
The information goes from interesting, via stunning, to bewilderingly alarming. I can't find strong enough terms, especially when it comes to the continued sales of some sleep aids. My words, but nothing short of murderous is how I would describe it, and it's not hard to see why it happens. The profits are beyond fiction.
Brain function against tiredness is the prime theme but consideration is given to the cost to nations.
IIRC $411 Billion is lost to the United States due to the workforce growing up with the current work ethos of working late and being in the office early. America leads the world in that direct loss, though Japan overtakes when compared to the GNP.
It seems nothing could be further from the truth and some enlightened companies are even installing rest rooms - in America I should say, resting rooms. Google I believe is one.
Well of course that's fine for a company that has a vast cash reserves but as we know, airlines have always operated on the edge. Flight time limitations being a major burden.
For me, it wasn't the fact I had not got enough time off, it was quite simply not knowing when I was going to be tired. In my day I'd be prodded if I even closed my eyes for a moment. A more enlightened world now, but if this book is anything to go by we've a long way to go before crews are operating at maximum efficiency. Human brains require 7 - 9 hours sleep.
And then there is Margret Thatcher that thought she could run a country - and it armed forces - on 4 hours a night.