Railroaders’ Guide to Healthy Sleep Railroaders’ Guide to Healthy Sleep

Credits

The Railroaders’ Guide to Healthy Sleep website was produced by the U.S. Department of Transportation Volpe Center (Volpe) in Cambridge, MA, and is sponsored by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT). Originally launched on June 11, 2012, in collaboration with the Harvard Medical School Division of Sleep Medicine, the site was updated by the Volpe Center in 2015, serving as a major educational initiative for the railroad industry about the importance of sleep health. The site was updated again in 2023 by many of the original investigators at Harvard Medical School to ensure the recommendations reflect the current state of the evidence.

Project Team

Shala N. Blue, PhD Office of Research, Development, and Technology, FRA

Project Lead

Laura K. Barger, PhD Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School

Project Support (Federal)

Heidi D. Howarth, PhD Transportation Human Factors Division, Volpe

Contract Teams

Harvard Medical School, Division of Sleep Medicine

Researchers, Physicians, and Sleep Professionals Interviewed

Stephen A. Amira, PhD, Harvard Medical School

Orfeu M. Buxton, PhD, formerly of Harvard Medical School

Daniel A. Cohen MD, MMSc, formerly of Harvard Medical School

Charles A. Czeisler, PhD, MD, FRCP, Harvard Medical School

Dennis Dean, PhD, formerly of Harvard Medical School

Marie Dumont, PhD, Université de Montréal

Charmane Eastman, PhD, Rush University Medical Center

Lawrence J. Epstein, MD, Harvard Medical School

Christopher Landrigan, MD, MPH, Harvard Medical School

Janet Mullington, PhD, Harvard Medical School

Andrew J. K. Phillips, PhD, formerly of Harvard Medical School

Stuart F. Quan, MD, Harvard Medical School

Ann E. Rogers, PhD, RN, FAAN, Emory University School of Medicine

Robert Stickgold, PhD, Harvard Medical School

Special Thanks

The project team thanks Michael K. Coplen, the original FRA sponsor and a driving force on this project, for his dedication to the health and safety of railroaders. The team expresses appreciation for the following stakeholders’ contributions to and support of this project: American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA), BNSF Railway, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET), the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers, Transportation Division (SMART-TD), and Union Pacific Railroad. Special thanks also to Stephen M. Popkin, PhD (Volpe) and the project’s prior FRA sponsor, Rachel Grice, PhD. the time and dedication of Juna Z. Snow, PhD, while serving as project Evaluator, and critical contributions from members of the BLET, including Kevin Sexton, Vince Verna, and John Tolman.

Medical Disclaimer

The U.S. DOT does not provide referrals to physicians or counsel people on the prevention, treatment, or diagnosis of specific medical problems. Advice on treatment or care of an individual patient should be obtained through consultation with a physician or other health professional that has examined the patient and is familiar with his or her medical history. It is not the intention of the U.S. DOT to provide specific medical advice, but rather to provide users with information to better understand their health and potential for sleep disorders. Specific medical advice will not be provided, and U.S. DOT urges you to consult with a qualified physician for diagnosis and answers to your personal medical questions.