Exploring Sleep-related Habitability Issues in Berthing Spaces on U.S. Navy Ships

摘要

Sleep problems are prevalent in the naval operational environment. Crewmembers attribute some of thesernproblems to habitability-related issues in their berthing compartments. This study has two goals: first, tornassess the provisions in current habitability standards used in ship design; and second, to assess the extentrnto which habitability factors in berthing compartments affect the sleep of crewmembers in United StatesrnNavy (USN) ships. Results from eight field studies show that environmental conditions (e.g., temperature,rnnoise, light, air quality) affect sleep quality in berthing spaces. Despite the provisions in current standards,rnsleep-related habitability issues remain a concern for crewmembers in the USN. Our findings suggest thatrnliving conditions may be improved in berthing compartments by revising current standards. We havernidentified three areas for improvement: noise (both continuous and intermittent), temperature within therncompartment, and designing berthing compartments according to the organizational structure of the ship.