Impact of Caffeine on Cognitive and Physical Performance and Marksmanship During Sustained Operations

摘要

Recent military operations have shown the importance of sustaining operational capabilities throughout the day and night for prolonged periods of time. Such a requirement inevitably leads to various states of sleep deprivation in very stressful environments. It is well documented that sleep loss impairs cognitive performance, and both physical and cognitive performance alone or in combination are critical for the successful outcome across the full spectrum of military operations. Cognitive performance will be degraded with less than 7 hours of sleep in each 24 hours. If 4 to 7 hours of sleep are obtained within every 24-hour period, cognitive performance will stabilize at a lower level, with less than 4 hours of sleep in every 24 hours, cognitive performance will degrade continuously and rapidly over days with stabilization. Physical performance is more resistant to sleep deprivation, but nonetheless those physical tasks that involve self-pacing and motivational efforts to continue are affected by sleep deprivation. Military guided have been developed to assist commanders in the management of cognitive fatigue during periods of sleep deprivation, but these guides have not considered in detail the impact of intervention strategies that could be used to optimize both cognitive and physical performance.