Sailor well-being and rack curtains
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Authors
Shattuck, Nita Lewis
Matsangas, Panagiotis
Mittleider, Megan
Clifton, Heather
Subjects
Rack curtains
sailor well-being
sleep
sleep quality
sailor well-being
sleep
sleep quality
Advisors
Date of Issue
2021-04-14
Date
Publisher
Monterey, CA; Naval Postgraduate School
Language
Abstract
Studies conducted by the Naval Postgraduate School Crew Endurance Team on United States Navy (USN) ships have shown that ambient light is a major habitability-related factor in berthing compartments. Even though the US Navy rack curtains are intended only for privacy, we postulated that they could also be used to improve sleeping conditions by blocking the light entering the rack space while the sailor is sleeping. Along these lines, we conducted a longitudinal quasi-experimental study on a Navy ship, comparing an enhanced rack curtain with the standard rack curtain in terms of sailor well-being, acceptance, and habitability conditions. Data were collected in December 2018 from 71 fit-for-duty crewmembers while the ship was underway in cold waters off the Pacific Northwest coast. Results showed that, overall, sailors approved of the enhanced curtain rating it positively in terms of light and noise reduction inside the rack. Also, regardless of the type of rack curtain, temperature inside the rack space was consistently lower than outside the rack. Compared to the standard curtain, the enhanced curtain was associated with an even larger temperature differential between the spaces inside and outside the rack. That is, in the cold environmental operating conditions in which the ship sailed, the inside of the racks with the enhanced curtain was colder than racks with the standard curtain. These findings can be explained if we consider that temperature in the rack is affected by the supply of air from the central ventilation system. When the curtains are closed (as it is oftentimes the case when sailors sleep in their racks), airflow is obstructed and the inside temperature cannot equalize to the external one. Therefore, our results suggest that the enhanced curtain obstructs airflow in the rack more than the standard curtain design. Overall, this study cannot provide conclusive results regarding the use of enhanced curtain designs to improve sleep in the berthing compartments. Future studies should further assess the effect of rack curtains on sleep habitability conditions in various environmental conditions, e.g., when sailing in warmer waters.
Type
Technical Report
Description
Series/Report No
Department
Organization
Identifiers
NPS Report Number
NPS-OR-21-002
Sponsors
Naval Advanced Medical Development Program
Funding
Format
52 p.
Citation
Distribution Statement
Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.
Rights
This publication is a work of the U.S. Government as defined in Title 17, United States Code, Section 101. Copyright protection is not available for this work in the United States