Role of Sleep Preference in Driving Performance

A team from the University of Granada (Granada) reports that a person’s chronotype—that is, whether you are an “early bird” or a “night owl” may significantly influence driving performance.  Angel Correa and colleagues assessed a group of 29 university-age men and women with extreme chronotypes.  They  observed that the evening-types are much worse drivers—they pay less attention—at their “non-optimal” time of day (early in the morning) by comparison with their optimal time (during the evening). As well, the morning-types were more stable drivers than evening-types and drove relatively well both in the morning and the evening.  The study authors urge that: “The consideration of chronotype in vigilance and driving tasks can enhance safety and human performance by promoting work schedules and countermeasures to prevent failures in the accomplishment of tasks under non-optimal circadian conditions.”