1. Goode JH. Are pilots at risk of accidents due to fatigue? J Safety Res. 2003; 34: 309-313. doi: 10.1016/S0022-4375(03)00033-1
2. Lal SK, Craig A. A critical review of the psychophysiology of driver fatigue. Biol Psychol. 2001; 55: 173-194. doi: 10.1016/S0301-0511(00)00085-5
3. Mehta R, Agnew M. Influence of mental workload on muscle endurance, fatigue, and recovery during intermittent static work. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2012; 112(8): 2891-2902. doi: 10.1007/s00421-011-2264-x
4. Schoenborn CA, Adams PF. Sleep duration as a correlate of smoking, alcohol use, leisure-time physical inactivity, and obesity among adults: United States, 2004--2006. 2009. Web site. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hestat/sleep04-06/sleep04-06.pdf. Accessed March 20, 2018.
5. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Your guide to healthy sleep. National Institutes of Health. NIH Pub No. 06-5271. Department of Health and Human Services. 2005.
6. Shen J, Barbera J, Shapiro CM. Distinguishing sleepiness and fatigue: Focus on definition and measurement. Sleep Med Rev. 2006; 10(1): 63-76. doi: 10.1016/j.smrv.2005.05.004
7. Turgiss J, Allen S. Asleep on the job. The causes and consequences of employees’ disrupted sleep and how employers can help. The Pulse Institute. 2014. Web site. http://connect.virginpulse.com/asleep-on-the-job-report-from-virgin-pulse.pdf. Accessed March 20, 2018.
8. Martin K, Staiano W, Menaspà P, et al. Superior inhibitory control and resistance to mental fatigue in professional road cyclists. PLoS One. 2016; 11(7): e0159907. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0159907
9. Smith MR, Coutts AJ, Merlini M, Deprez D, Lenoir M, Marcora SM. Mental fatigue impairs soccer-specific physical and technical performance. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2016; 48(2): 267-276. doi: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000000762
10. Smith MR, Marcora SM, Coutts AJ. Mental fatigue impairs intermittent running performance. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2015; 47(8): 1682-1690. doi: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000000592
11. Mosso A. La fatica [In Italian]. Milan, Italy: Treves; 1891.
12. Cook DB, O’Connor PJ, Lange G, Steffener J. Functional neuroimaging correlates of mental fatigue induced by cognition among chronic fatigue syndrome patients and controls. Neuroimage. 2007; 36: 108-122. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2007.02.033
13. Faber LG, Maurits NM, Lorist MM. Mental fatigue affects visual selective attention. PLoS One. 2012; 7(10): e48073. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0048073
14. Hopstaken JF, van der Linden D, Bakker AB, Kompier MAJ. A multifaceted investigation of the link between mental fatigue and task disengagement. Psychophysiology. 2015; 52: 305-315. doi: 10.1111/psyp.12339
15. Lim J, Kwok K. The effects of varying break length on attention and time on task. Hum Factors. 2016; 58(3): 472-481. doi: 10.1177/0018720815617395
16. Mehta RK, Parasuraman R. Effects of mental fatigue on the development of physical fatigue: A neuroergonomic approach. Hum Factors. 2013; 56(4): 645-656 doi: 10.1177/0018720813507279
17. Van Cutsem J, Marcora S, De Pauw K, Bailey S, Meeusen R, Roelands B. The effects of mental fatigue on physical performance: A systematic review. Sports Med. 2017; 47(8): 1569-1588. doi: 10.1007/s40279-016-0672-0
18. Meijman TF. Mental fatigue and the efficiency of information processing in relation to work times. Int J Ind Ergon. 1997; 20: 31-38. doi: 10.1016/S0169-8141(96)00029-7
19. Van der Linden D, Frese M, Meijman TF. Mental fatigue and the control of cognitive processes: Effects on perseveration and planning. Acta Psychol (Amst). 2003; 113: 45-65. doi: 10.1016/S0001-6918(02)00150-6
20. Van der Linden D. The urge to stop: The cognitive and biological nature of acute mental fatigue. In: Ackerman PL, ed. Cognitive fatigue: Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Current Research and Future Applications. Washington, USA: American Psychological Association; 2011: 149-164.
21. Connor J, Norton R, Ameratunga S, et al. Driver sleepiness and risk of serious injury to car occupants: Population based case control study. BMJ. 2002; 324: 1125. doi: 10.1136/bmj.324.7346.1125
22. Fullagar H, Skorski S, Duffield R, Hammes D, Coutts A, Meyer T. Sleep and athletic performance: The effects of sleep loss on exercise performance, and physiological and cognitive responses to exercise. Sports Med. 2015; 45(2): 161-186. doi: 10.1007/s40279-014-0260-0
Sports and Exercise Medicine
Open journal
ISSN 2377-1518
Mental Fatigue: A Public Health Concern?
Jessica W. Chow*
Corresponding Author
Jessica W. Chow, PhD
Assistant Professor of Exercise Science, St. Thomas Aquinas College, School of Arts and Sciences, Sparkill, NY 10976, USA; E-mail: jchow@stac.edu
Affiliation
Jessica W. Chow, PhD*
Department of Exercise Science, St. Thomas Aquinas College, School of Arts and Sciences, Sparkill, NY 10976, USA
Corresponding Author
Jessica W. Chow, PhD
Assistant Professor of Exercise Science, St. Thomas Aquinas College, School of Arts and Sciences, Sparkill, NY 10976, USA; E-mail: jchow@stac.edu
Article History
Received: March 2nd, 2018; Revised: March 22nd, 2018; Accepted: March 23rd, 2018; Published: March 23rd, 2018
Cite this Article
Chow JW. Mental fatigue: A public health concern? Sport Exerc Med Open J. 2018; 4(1): 1-2. doi: 10.17140/SEMOJ-4-153
Copyright
© Copyright 2018 by Chow JW. This is an open-access article distributed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), which allows to copy, redistribute, remix, transform, and reproduce in any medium or format, even commercially, provided the original work is properly cited.
Doi
In our current societal state of rapid technological advancement, we are constantly being exposed to various mediums of information. Obtaining information is just a matter of a few taps away on one’s phone. The ease in accessing information has its benefits and shortfalls. While the ease in acquiring information is an obvious advantage, the downside though, is the fatigue associated with the constant processing of information on a daily basis. Adding on the multitude of responsibilities that everyone has while including the balancing of personal and professional obligations, the symptoms of mental fatigue is perhaps more prevalent than those associated with physical fatigue where symptoms are visible to identify and perceive.
Mental fatigue is characterized with subjective feelings of “tiredness” and “lack of energy”. This psychobiological state has been extensively researched on professions where cognitive demand is very high, such as drivers and air pilots1,2 and its contribution to the development of work-related musculoskeletal disorders.3 It has been reported that in the United States, approximately 29% of adults reported sleeping less than 7 hours per night4 and an estimated 70 million suffer from a sleep disorder or chronic sleep deprivation5 with similar subjective consequential symptoms.6 In a study by The Pulse Institute (2014), where employees from three U.S. based companies were surveyed, 76% of employees felt tired most days of the week, 40% doze off during the day once per month, 30% were unhappy or very unhappy with the quality or quantity of their sleep, and 15% reported to doze off during the day at least once per week to once per day.7
The impact of mental fatigue on workplace productivity is just one spectrum of recent research. The effects on subsequent physical performance in humans has been researched in various populations as well, such as professional road cyclists, soccer players, and intermittent team sport athletes.8,9,10 Dating back to as early as 1891, Angelo Mosso published observations of reduced muscular endurance in two physiology professors following long lectures and examinations.11 Presently, there is surmounting body of evidence reflecting changes in neural function related to reaction time, concentration, endurance performance, and in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.12,13,14,15,16,17
It has been reported that people who are mentally fatigued reported greater difficulty maintaining concentration and a reduced ability to complete tasks and vigorous exercise due to loss of motivation and tolerance to physical fatigue related symptoms.18,19,20 It is well documented that driving and sleep deprivation, alternatively known as drowsy driving, has a crucial role to traffic accidents.21 Similar deprivations in exercise physiological responses have also been observed.22
This raises the need for further research to elucidate the role of mental fatigue induced by excessive information processing enabled by the advancement of technology and its role on society’s overall well-being. Populations of interest may include, but not limited to the clinical population of various chronic diseases, children, adolescence, athletes of various skill levels and sports, and occupations that are subjected to prolonged cognitive activity.
1. Goode JH. Are pilots at risk of accidents due to fatigue? J Safety Res. 2003; 34: 309-313. doi: 10.1016/S0022-4375(03)00033-1
2. Lal SK, Craig A. A critical review of the psychophysiology of driver fatigue. Biol Psychol. 2001; 55: 173-194. doi: 10.1016/S0301-0511(00)00085-5
3. Mehta R, Agnew M. Influence of mental workload on muscle endurance, fatigue, and recovery during intermittent static work. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2012; 112(8): 2891-2902. doi: 10.1007/s00421-011-2264-x
4. Schoenborn CA, Adams PF. Sleep duration as a correlate of smoking, alcohol use, leisure-time physical inactivity, and obesity among adults: United States, 2004--2006. 2009. Web site. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hestat/sleep04-06/sleep04-06.pdf. Accessed March 20, 2018.
5. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Your guide to healthy sleep. National Institutes of Health. NIH Pub No. 06-5271. Department of Health and Human Services. 2005.
6. Shen J, Barbera J, Shapiro CM. Distinguishing sleepiness and fatigue: Focus on definition and measurement. Sleep Med Rev. 2006; 10(1): 63-76. doi: 10.1016/j.smrv.2005.05.004
7. Turgiss J, Allen S. Asleep on the job. The causes and consequences of employees’ disrupted sleep and how employers can help. The Pulse Institute. 2014. Web site. http://connect.virginpulse.com/asleep-on-the-job-report-from-virgin-pulse.pdf. Accessed March 20, 2018.
8. Martin K, Staiano W, Menaspà P, et al. Superior inhibitory control and resistance to mental fatigue in professional road cyclists. PLoS One. 2016; 11(7): e0159907. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0159907
9. Smith MR, Coutts AJ, Merlini M, Deprez D, Lenoir M, Marcora SM. Mental fatigue impairs soccer-specific physical and technical performance. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2016; 48(2): 267-276. doi: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000000762
10. Smith MR, Marcora SM, Coutts AJ. Mental fatigue impairs intermittent running performance. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2015; 47(8): 1682-1690. doi: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000000592
11. Mosso A. La fatica [In Italian]. Milan, Italy: Treves; 1891.
12. Cook DB, O’Connor PJ, Lange G, Steffener J. Functional neuroimaging correlates of mental fatigue induced by cognition among chronic fatigue syndrome patients and controls. Neuroimage. 2007; 36: 108-122. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2007.02.033
13. Faber LG, Maurits NM, Lorist MM. Mental fatigue affects visual selective attention. PLoS One. 2012; 7(10): e48073. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0048073
14. Hopstaken JF, van der Linden D, Bakker AB, Kompier MAJ. A multifaceted investigation of the link between mental fatigue and task disengagement. Psychophysiology. 2015; 52: 305-315. doi: 10.1111/psyp.12339
15. Lim J, Kwok K. The effects of varying break length on attention and time on task. Hum Factors. 2016; 58(3): 472-481. doi: 10.1177/0018720815617395
16. Mehta RK, Parasuraman R. Effects of mental fatigue on the development of physical fatigue: A neuroergonomic approach. Hum Factors. 2013; 56(4): 645-656 doi: 10.1177/0018720813507279
17. Van Cutsem J, Marcora S, De Pauw K, Bailey S, Meeusen R, Roelands B. The effects of mental fatigue on physical performance: A systematic review. Sports Med. 2017; 47(8): 1569-1588. doi: 10.1007/s40279-016-0672-0
18. Meijman TF. Mental fatigue and the efficiency of information processing in relation to work times. Int J Ind Ergon. 1997; 20: 31-38. doi: 10.1016/S0169-8141(96)00029-7
19. Van der Linden D, Frese M, Meijman TF. Mental fatigue and the control of cognitive processes: Effects on perseveration and planning. Acta Psychol (Amst). 2003; 113: 45-65. doi: 10.1016/S0001-6918(02)00150-6
20. Van der Linden D. The urge to stop: The cognitive and biological nature of acute mental fatigue. In: Ackerman PL, ed. Cognitive fatigue: Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Current Research and Future Applications. Washington, USA: American Psychological Association; 2011: 149-164.
21. Connor J, Norton R, Ameratunga S, et al. Driver sleepiness and risk of serious injury to car occupants: Population based case control study. BMJ. 2002; 324: 1125. doi: 10.1136/bmj.324.7346.1125
22. Fullagar H, Skorski S, Duffield R, Hammes D, Coutts A, Meyer T. Sleep and athletic performance: The effects of sleep loss on exercise performance, and physiological and cognitive responses to exercise. Sports Med. 2015; 45(2): 161-186. doi: 10.1007/s40279-014-0260-0
LATEST ARTICLES
Rotational Thromboelastometry: Enhancing Hemostasis Monitoring in Anesthesia
Girishkumar Modi*, Vijay Kumar and Nagaraju Munagala
doi.10.17140/RPAOJ-7-137
Complete Remission of Multiple Pulmonary Metastases of Endometrial Adenocarcinoma Treated with a Mixture of Low Molecular Weight Fucoidan and Canvaria gladiata Extract: A Case Report
Isamu Tengan, MD*
doi.10.17140/CSMMOJ-8-135
Working Memory Failures and Comprehension Monitoring Impairments in Primary Readers
Stephen K. Ntim*
doi.10.17140/PCSOJ-9-170
Examining the Rise of Intimate Partner Violence during COVID-19: A Call to Action for Psychologists as Social Advocates
Miranda Landfield, Naqsh Ali, Shahrzad Azarafza, Shelly Baer, Anushree Belur, Naomi Griffin, Dilara Kosak, Jennifer Lerch, Rose Patatanian, Elizabeth Quintero, Stephanie Scott, Guy Balice* and Melia Leibert
doi.10.17140/PCSOJ-9-169
Effect of Rhodiola Rosea Supplement on Exhaustive Swimming Test and Physical Fatigue in Male Institute of Cancer Research Mice
Wan-Li Chu, Mon-Chine Lee, Yi-Ju Hsu, Chi-Chang Huang and Yu-Jou Chien*
doi.10.17140/SEMOJ-9-189
Safety and Efficacy of Biweekly Gemcitabine in Combination with Capecitabine in Elderly and Frail Patients with Resected Pancreatic Cancer
Muhammad W. Saif*, Nausheen Hakim, Jeffrey Chi, Hasan Rehman, William Nealon, Antonia Maloney, Melissa H. Smith and Jyothi Jose
doi.10.17140/POJ-6-119
Liver-Directed Therapy and Systemic Chemotherapy for Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma with Liver Metastases: Experience of 12-years
Muhammad W. Saif*, Shreya P. Goyal, Antonia Maloney, Melissa H. Smith and Jyothi Jose
doi.10.17140/POJ-6-118
Mucormycosis in COVID-19 Pandemic
Safa Nefzaoui, Nadia Romdhane, Hela Farjallah*, Imen Zoghlami, Inès Hariga and Chiraz M. Chaouch
doi.10.17140/OTLOJ-8-167
Surgical Treatment of Sternal Fracture: Case Report and Literature Review
Jorge Pérez-Acosta, Orlando Téllez-Almenares*, Justo Escalona-Cartaya, Raúl Calas-Balbuena and Olga M. Moreira-Barinaga
doi.10.17140/SROJ-8-129
LATEST ARTICLES
Stay connected by receiving latest open access content in your inbox. Sign up now!
company
Open Journals
Open discoveriEs
Open communities
others
© 2014-2023 I Openventio Publisher is licensed by Creative Commons Attribution, unless otherwise indicated.
This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.