Sleep Variability in UK Long Distance Heavy Goods Vehicle Drivers.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: Sleep variability levels are unknown in heavy goods vehicle (HGV) drivers yet are associated with adverse health outcomes and reduced driver vigilance when high. METHODS: Two hundred and thirty-three HGV drivers recruited across 25 UK depots provided sleep variability, sleep duration, and sleep efficiency data via wrist-worn accelerometry (GENEActiv) over 8 days. Sleep variability indicators included social jetlag (the difference in midpoint of the sleep window between work and nonworkdays) and intraindividual variability of sleep window onset time, out-of-bed time, and sleep duration. RESULTS: Fifty-three percent of drivers experienced social jetlag (≥1 hour), and 27% experienced high (>2 hours) social jetlag. Drivers with the highest sleep variability had the shortest sleep duration and lowest sleep efficiency during workdays. CONCLUSIONS: Drivers with high sleep variability may experience more fatigue when driving given the poor sleep outcomes during workdays observed.