Scientific Correspondence
Published:17 July 1997

Fatigue, alcohol and performance impairment

Drew Dawson¹ &
Kathryn Reid²

Naturevolume 388, page235 (1997)Cite this article

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Abstract

Reduced opportunity for sleep and reduced sleep quality are frequently related to accidents involving shift-workers^1,2,3. Poor-quality sleep and inadequate recovery leads to increased fatigue, decreased alertness and impaired performance in a variety of cognitive psychomotor tests⁴. However, the risks associated with fatigue are not well quantified. Here we equate the performance impairment caused by fatigue with that due to alcohol intoxication, and show that moderate levels of fatigue produce higher levels of impairment than the proscribed level of alcohol intoxication.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

The Centre for Sleep Research, University of South Australia, The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Woodville, 5011, South Australia
Drew Dawson
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Adelaide, The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Woodville, 5011, South Australia
Kathryn Reid

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