Qualidade do sono e sua influência no desempenho em voo de cadetes aviadores da FAB: estudo observacional

The quality of sleep can impact human cognitive functions, and these changes translate into a disadvantage in competitive performance, with an increase in human reaction time. Thus, the objective of this investigation was to compare the quality of sleep of cadets in the 2nd and 4th years of the Aviation Officer Training Course (CFOAV) at the Air Force Academy (AFA), as well as verify the associations between sleep quality and flight performance. A total of 110 2nd year and 92 4th year cadets from CFOAV-2024 participated in the research. The sleep quality self-assessment questionnaire and the Epworth sleepiness questionnaire were used as sleep assessment instruments. To evaluate performance, academic flight practice grades were analyzed. As a result, we observed higher levels of daytime sleepiness in 2nd year cadets, as well as a deterioration in sleep quality, compared to 4th year cadets. More than 60% of 2nd year students have a level of sleepiness categorized as “excessively severe”. The drop in flight performance was associated with the presence of inadequate sleep for 2nd year cadets, with a significant change and a moderate to strong effect size. Adjustments to the diet, physical training pattern, as well as measures to ensure minimum sleep time, are suggested as alternatives to improving sleep quality and increasing tolerance to sleep deprivation.