Manifest Sleepiness and the Spectral Content of the EEG during Shift Work

Twenty-five three-shift workers in a process industry were subjected to ambulatory polysomnography during one afternoon and one night shift. The electroencephalographic (EEG) recordings were analyzed with spectral analysis. Subjective sleepiness increased during the night work but did not reach an extreme level. Five subjects fell asleep during night work and the involuntary naps were preceded by a few minutes of increased alpha (8-11.9 Hz) power density. Alpha and theta activity occurred in very short bursts. The hourly mean EEG alpha power density increased significantly but moderately during the night shift and correlated with subjective ratings of sleepiness. Theta power density (4-7.9 Hz) did not increase during the night shift, nor did it correlate with subjective sleepiness. It was suggested that the shift workers could prevent much of the polysomnographic manifestations of sleepiness by various types of activity (including succumbing to sleep). It was also suggested that averaging power density values across long time periods might not be an optimal strategy for detection of sleepiness, but rather some method of emphasizing the occurrence of alpha or theta bursts.