Because we tend to underestimate our own degree of sleepiness, these systems have the potential to play a valuable role in detecting dangerous levels of fatigue and alerting crewmembers to their presence. Great strides have been made in the last fifty years with regard to knowledge about sleep, sleep need, the effects of sleep loss on performance, and related issues. Even more recently, major advances have occurred in human circadian rhythms research, leading to an improved understanding of these daily rhythms and their control by the human circadian pacemaker in the brain. However, more research is needed to fully understand the capabilities and limitations of the human sleep and circadian systems. An additional challenge is the appropriate application of this research to operational environments such as aviation.
Research also needs to continue to address regulatory, scheduling, and countermeasure questions.
The area of fatigue is plagued by misconceptions about its causes and characteristics. There is no substitute for valid empirical data to guide decision making and policy. A successful approach will attempt to maximize each individual component, resulting in an effective overall program. Measures taken to address fatigue must also allow for needed operational flexibility. Clearly, fatigue-related issues cannot be the only ones considered in regulating hours of service, developing scheduling practices, creating new technologies, etc.