Air Force News, news from Iraq - Air Force Times

Student pitches light therapy to halt fatigue

OGDEN, Utah — A Weber State University senior is presenting to U.S. lawmakers her study on helping shift workers in the military avoid fatigue.

Kristena Kons studied 13 air traffic and weapons controllers who work rotating shifts at Hill Air Force Base.

She used a portable light-emitting diode light that attaches to the brim of a hat and administered the light to workers at the beginning of their morning shifts and the end of the swing shifts.

Her research last summer suggests that light therapy can limit melatonin production and therefore reduce fatigue. Melatonin is a hormone that aids sleep.

She said she chose air traffic and weapons controllers to study because mistakes on their jobs can be disastrous.

“It comes down to preserving money in the company and, obviously, human life,” she said.