Jonathan Husni, MBA, IT expert and inventor of PowerNap audio products, has offered the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA), 100 PowerNap CDs and a 50% discount on his company’s PowerNap Machine, if it will try his technology as a solution to the fatigue problem that has caused a number of air traffic controllers to fall asleep on the job.
Mark Rosekind, an NTSB board member and an internationally-recognized fatigue expert, has recommended on-the-job naps as a way for the controllers to fight fatigue. Research indicates that even short periods of sleep — power naps — can reduce stress, increase alertness and improve overall health. A NASA study found that an average nap of 26 minutes boosted airline pilots’ performance by one-third and experiments by the National Institute of Mental Health showed that a midday snooze reverses information overload.
Husni agrees that this is the most direct and potentially effective solution to a problem that has seen several instances of exhausted air traffic controllers failing in their duties. “People wanting and needing a nap don’t often have much time for it, so it’s important that they fall asleep quickly.”
The technology behind PowerNap is simple, he said. During the first five minutes of listening to PowerNap CDs with ear buds, the user’s brain automatically adjusts to its inaudible sound waves. For the next 10 minutes the PowerNap recording helps induce REM sleep, finally bringing the user to a refreshed state of heightened wakefulness. Throughout, the user hears only the sound of a waterfall.
Introduced 10 years ago, thousands of PowerNap CDs have been sold, according to company officials. The PowerNap Machine, a pocket-sized media player that similarly facilitates sleep, was introduced this year.
For more information: www.powernap.com
