Performance on a simple response time task: Is sleep or work more important for miners?

End of night shifts is associated with significantly slower response times in mining operators.

• The timing of the psychomotor vigilance test is a significant predictor of response time.
• Response times are slower at the end of night shifts compared to the start of night shifts and both start and end of day shifts.
• The amount of sleep obtained in the 24 hours prior to testing significantly predicts response time.
• Lower amounts of prior sleep are related to slower response times.
• Sleep is identified as a primary factor influencing performance, regardless of shift patterns.

AI simplified