The dangers of air traffic controllers not getting enough sleep: A class discussion or assignment

[sue_frantz]

It was with great dismay that I read this New York Times article on the number of close calls between airplanes (Ember et al., 2023). With the challenges faced by understaffed air traffic control towers, the sheer number of close calls are not surprising. What is surprising is that the last time a U.S. airline had a fatal crash was in 2009.

After reading that article, I opened my computer to see on my screen a ScienceDaily summary of a study that found correlations “between early classes, less sleep, poor attendance and reduced grade point average” (ScienceDaily, 2023). I thought, “yes, lack of sleep can negatively affect GPA, but it can also get people killed.”

After covering sleep in Intro Psych, ask your students to review the tips for better sleep provided by the Sleep Foundation (Suni & Singh, 2023). All of these tips imply that we as individuals have complete control over our sleeping conditions. We know that it’s not quite that simple. For example, I have previously written about how social conditions can affect sleep (Frantz, 2022). This most recent New York Times article on airplane near misses points out that work can make getting good sleep problematic.

Invite your students to read that New York Times article. And then in the context of a discussion (online or face-to-face) or as an assignment, ask students to answer these questions.

1. Of the Sleep Foundation’s 20 tips for better sleep, which ones would be impossible for air traffic controllers do according to the New York Times article? Explain.
2. Of the 20 tips, which ones might be difficult for air traffic controllers to do? Explain.
3. Of the 20 tips, which ones would be easiest for air traffic controllers to do? Explain.
4. If you were in charge of air traffic controllers, identify at least three things you would do to improve their sleep.

References

Ember, S., Steel, E., Abraham, L., Lutz, E., & Koeze, E. (2023, August 21). Airline close calls happen far more often than previously known. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/08/21/business/airline-safety-close-calls.html

Frantz, S. (2022, January 10). Sleep deprivation is also a social justice issue. Macmillan and BFW Teaching Community. https://community.macmillanlearning.com/t5/psychology-blog/sleep-deprivation-is-also-a-social-justic...

ScienceDaily. (2023, March 28). Early morning university classes correlate with poor sleep and academic performance. ScienceDaily. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/03/230328145459.htm

Suni, E., & Singh, A. (2023, August 8). The 20 tips for how to sleep better. Sleep Foundation. https://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep-hygiene/healthy-sleep-tips