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Factoring sleep into game performance a ‘slam dunk’ for Dallas Mavericks

We are pleased to announce that 2011 NBA Champions, Dallas Mavericks, will be using our game-changing technology to help manage player fatigue and performance during the hectic NBA season.

“Athletes and trainers understand that timing and consistency of workouts, practice, and nutritional intake is important to the players game performance” says Fatigue Science Founder and VP, Pat Byrne, “they also know sleep is important, but previously they have not had the ability to  measure sleep and fatigue – our technology can not only do that, but analyze the data and provide validated solutions to optimize the teams performance.”

The technology, currently used by the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks as well as other professional teams in the NFL, MLS and Olympics, includes Fatigue Science’s Readibands – a virtually indestructible band that can track micro movements in the wrist to measure sleep and activity, and F.A.S.T. (Fatigue Avoidance Scheduling Tool) – which analyzes data collected from the wristbands to create a customized fatigue avoidance solution. Using the data collected, scientifically-based recommendations will be made for player travel, training and rest period scheduling to mitigate fatigue and maximize reaction time and effectiveness during game play.

ESPN recently reported on some challenges in the Mavericks’ away game schedule this season: “Five of the Mavs’ final seven games are on the road, including a four-game-in-six-night stretch that starts against the two L.A. teams.” It’s the effects of these tough scheduling terms that teams try to mitigate when they look for ways to deal with player fatigue. “Sleep is only one  variable, but perhaps the most important,” Pat Byrne says, “Teams can ensure their players have the opportunity to maximize their performance at game time. Even just 10% loss of effectiveness can make a difference between winning or losing.”

Pat traveled to Dallas this past (Canadian) Thanksgiving weekend to train the players and management on the use of the technology. Sports fans and tech watchers can start trying to spot the Readiband on the Mavericks line up in the coming weeks.

Scientific scrutiny needed in pilot scheduling regulations

As we recently reported, new regulations to standardize time limits for pilots flying across the European Union (EU) were proposed “in an attempt to reduce fatigue and enhance aviation safety”. Following the announcement, organizations like the British Airlines Pilots Association (BALPA), were quick to criticize the regulations, pointing out that pilots could end up landing planes after being awake for as long as 22 hours.

BBC news now reports that the proposed regulations were voted down by the Members of European Parliament (MEP) transport committee last week. The rejection may have been influenced by a Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) incident report which indicated that both pilots of a recent UK-bound flight had fallen asleep at the same time. The report suggested that the incident was a result of longer shifts creating “an insufficient opportunity for pilots to rest” but regarded it as “isolated”.  BALPA, however, might suggest otherwise as a survey conducted on their behalf revealed that over 50% of commercial pilots admitted to “having fallen asleep on the flight deck” and almost 30% having woken up “to find the other pilot asleep”.

A BALPA spokesperson commented to BBC that “rejection of the new rules reflected “pilots’ concerns about the way the rules had been put together without proper scientific scrutiny and underpinning evidence”.  Pre-departure procedures for flights involve rigorous checks and balances to make sure flight equipment is in optimal form before take off, but what about a pilot check?In the case of this British airbus flight, it was revealed that one of the pilots had only slept a total of five hours over the previous two nights, and this occurred under the supposedly more stringent existing UK rules. Regulations are important, but they need to be built around meaningful data, starting with a real understanding of the current state of pilot fatigue and a validated analysis of schedule change benefits and implications.

Vancouver Canucks post-game coverage: Coach John Tortorella and his Readiband

We caught new Vancouver Canucks coach, John Tortorella, wearing his Readiband in the post-game coverage after the Canucks pre-season win over the Coyotes on September 23rd.

Between busy game schedules, practice, training and challenging travel requirements it’s not uncommon these days to hear professional athletes and teams declare fatigue as a major factor in poor game performance. Since 2009, the Vancouver Canucks have been using Fatigue Science’s Readiband and FAST (Fatigue Avoidance Scheduling Tool) to manage fatigue and calculate performance at game time. Since that time, the Vancouver Canucks have become one of the best road-game performing teams in the NHL by getting objective scientific data in order to make smarter travel decisions.With a new coach and Readibands on hand, we’re looking forward to seeing what this next season will bring for the Vancouver Canucks in their quest for the Stanley Cup.

 

Siliconangle.com: Self-trackers to keep fatigue at bay

Fatigue Science’s Readiband was recently covered in siliconangle.com‘s Quantified Self roundup featuring self-trackers that can help improve performance and health.

Melissa Tolentino writes:

Fatigue Science delivers a few different products that help us understand how fatigue is affecting our lives, with its Fatigue Management Technology. One of its offerings is the Readiband, a smartwatch that tracks micro 3D movements of your wrist 16 times per second. It then uses a sophisticated algorithm to determine the quality and quantity of your sleep.

The technology is based on a model developed by the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research at the U.S. Army Medical Research Development Command to convert fatigue levels into performance data. The point of this smartwatch is to reiterate the importance of getting enough sleep in order to function well throughout the day. Getting enough sleep is vital to person’s well-being as it keeps people focused and maintains normal levels of reaction time.

The Readiband is lightweight, waterproof, and practically indestructible, so you can wear it no matter what field of work you are in.

Read the full article

Would you get in the plane with a pilot who has been awake for 22 hours?

A new BALPA poll, has revealed that nine out of 10 people are concerned about the proposed changes to flying rules that could lead to an aircraft being flown by a pilot who has been awake for 22 hours.

The changes to pilots’ rest requirements and duty times have been proposed by the EU’s European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and are aimed at regulating pilots hours across the EU.

But under these new rules, pilots could be landing passenger jets after 22 hours awake – including 11 hours flying, plus stand-by-time and travel to the airport.

The new rules could lead to pilots operating long haul flights with two (rather than three) crew members and working up to seven early starts in a row.

In the US, new regulations by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulating pilots’ flight-time/duty-time will come into effect in 2014.

The new FAA rules set a 10 hour minimum rest period prior to the flight duty period – a two hour increase over the previous rules – and also mandates that a pilot must have an opportunity for eight hours of uninterrupted sleep within the 10 hour rest period.

Is it really safety first?

With both EASA and FAA introducing new regulations in an attempt to reduce fatigue and enhance aviation safety, here at Fatigue Science we believe that until we start measuring pilots actual sleep, we will not see a reduction in fatigue related accidents.

Pat Byrne, our founder and VP says that “regulating hours will still mean that pilots can still get into the cockpit fatigued.  Ensuring that pilots have rest periods does not mean they will sleep – factors such as circadian rhythm and jet-lag all play a significant role in distributing sleep quality.”

Only by measuring pilots actual sleep with scientifically validated fatigue management technology such as our Readiband, will we be able to understand if pilots are turning up to work fatigued.

This is why fatigue is such an insidious hazard. Pilots can be mentally fatigued and be at a greatly increased accident risk, yet not even be aware that they are fatigued.

This why we believe that only until the EASA and FAA implement regulations requiring pilots sleep to be measured will we begin to see a reduction in the number of fatigue related air accidents.

Interested in learning more about data-driven fatigue management?

or download our free eBook on the Science of Sleep for industrial workforces

Forbes: Didn’t get enough sleep? You might as well be drunk

Our Readiband, used by the Vancouver Canucks and the US Military, has been featured in Forbes Magazine.

Kelly Clay, a contributor to Forbes, spoke with our founder Pat Byrne about the history behind Fatigue Science, the technology, and how Readiband is helping individuals understand their effectiveness scores in real-time.

In the article titled, Didn’t Get Enough Sleep? You Might As Well Be Drunk, Clay says that “Readiband serves to drive actionable, behaviour changing insights around sleep patterns and human performance in a practical and scientifically valid way.”