Stars and Stripes | 22 Sep 2017 | by Tyler Hlavac
YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan -- Sailors will get more sleep at sea under a directive issued Wednesday by the head of Naval Surface Forces.
Vice. Adm. Tom Rowden has ordered ship captains to establish routines no later than Dec. 20 that will give sailors predictable watch schedules and sleep periods, according to a copy of the directive obtained by Stars and Stripes.
A Naval Postgraduate School study shows that 21 hours without sleep results in impairment equivalent to being legally drunk, Rowden said in the directive.
"You would not operate your car under these conditions; we should not ask our crews to stand watch and operate shipboard systems in a similar mental and physical state," he said.
Irregular schedules can disrupt sleep patterns and make it hard for people to fall asleep or stay awake, according to the National Sleep Foundation.
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http://www.military.com/daily-news/2017/09/22/navy-issues-guidance-to-provide-more-sleep-for-sailors-at-sea.html
