With the continuous progress and development of aviation technology, the technical problems of one-way long-distance flight are being solved. Sleep deprivation has a significant impact on pilots'cognitive impairment in the complex environment of long-term flight and high cognitive load. This paper begins with the analysis of the effect of sleep deprivation on cognitive function of subjects, and then analyses the effect of sleep deprivation on cognitive attention and executive function. Combining with pilots'cognitive needs, it summarizes the experimental methods and research conclusions of related studies, and analyses the effects of sleep deprivation on pilots from three aspects of perception, decision-making and execution. The effects of sleep deprivation on pilots'cognitive decision-making are discussed, which can be used for reference in the overall design of cockpit under long-term flight conditions.