Arousal Retention Effect of Magnetic Stimulation to Car Drivers Preventing Drowsy Driving Without Sleep Rebound

Abstract

We report experimental validation of the existence of so-called the sleep rebound phenomenon against each sensory stimulus using a driving simulator and the electroencephalograph for about 105 subjects with evaluation of an arousal index (α+β)/(δ+θ) in the electroencephalogram (EEG) measurements after each driving operation. We found that methods using the perfume presentation, the alert presentation, the vibration and chewing gum were resulted in the sleep rebound phenomenon, whilst a proposed magnetic stimulation showed an arousal retention effect without the sleep rebound. Mechanisms of the arousal effect of the magnetic stimulation were discussed with measurements of electric conductivity versus water temperature characteristics of pure water.