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Air Traffic Controllers (ATC‘s) struggling to stay awake and alert is a sure sign of stress and exhaustion. The “Rule of 3-3-3″ is a quick mental check to detect the onset of sleepiness. Practical neuroscience techniques help ATC’s maintain their “razor’s edge” for superior sensory and cognitive alertness and response time.
Sleepiness and the Rule of 3-3-3
When your eyelids close 3 times in 3 minutes for 3 seconds, or more, you are in dire danger of making a sensory and/or cognitive mistake. You are entering alpha and theta brain states, which signal drowsiness and potential sleep. The following provides the neuroscience explanation of this state and ways to stay awake and alert.
Maintaining Alertness, Focus and Mental Agility
The brain tends to be most focused, logical and alert to taking in and processing sensory information when in the beta frequency range of 14.0 – 40 cycles per second (CPS). Progressively lower frequency ranges are relaxed, drowsy, sleep and dream states. Be aware that your brain may want to “down shift” to a lower frequency range when you are physically tired, experiencing pain, or under stress to perform time-sensitive activities accurately. This is an escape mechanism the brain uses to protect itself.
Oxygen is essential for whole brain functionality. You can keep your brain alert and engaged by deep rhythmic breathing. We tend to hold our breath when stressed and we breathe shallowly when dozing off. Drinking cold water is beneficial because it contains more oxygen than is in room temperature or hot beverages. Also, moving about and stretching is helpful to increase your brain frequency. The quickest emergency first aid treatment for staying alert and present is a controlled shot of oxygen from a tank and mask.
Physical environments help you reach and maintain specific brain frequency states, depending on what you need to do. ATC activities require staying focused, alert, and cognitively present. ATC’s must be able to act quickly, resourcefully and competently in rapidly changing situations.
It’s essential to create the physical environment that increases your probability to stay alert, focused, effective and productive. The following research-based ideas can act as a checklist for FAA and ATC personnel to consider:
- Straight back chair at a table/console:Avoid an overly comfortable chair that may invite your body to relax and allow you to lose focus.
- Bright light: Dim lights tend to lower your brain waves and initiate drowsiness.
- Cool temperatures: Warm temperatures may also create a drowsy state.
- Food/Snacks only during breaks: Reserve food and snacks for breaks; you may use this as a reward for staying on-task.
In conclusion, ATC’s, or anyone in high-risk management jobs, need to know the principles of practical neuroscience that affect their performance. Each person’s brain is wired differently to receive and process sensory information. Regardless of your career, knowing your brain strengths and “blind spots” is essential to working safely and productively. Doesn’t it make sense that you are most happy and fulfilled when you are alert, managing stress and using your strengths?
Related Articles
- Air controllers need fortitude in demanding job (msnbc.msn.com)
- FAA Has Known About Sleepy Air Traffic Controllers (foxnews.com)
- Despite Sudden Action, Feds Have Long Known of Sleepy Air Traffic Controllers – Fox News (news.google.com)
