A lack of sleep is breaking the US military
By Maj. Dave Nixon
Dec 12, 09:42 AM
From the very first days of initial entry training, trainees are grounded in the core values of their branch of service. However, other unspoken principles are also ingrained from the very beginning. One such unspoken principle is “sleep is a crutch.”
According to multiple studies from both inside and outside the Department of Defense, only one-third of military members meet the recommended minimum guidelines of seven hours of sleep. The military hates sleep, and it is breaking the force.
The connection between sleep and physical performance is generally understood, but sleep’s relationship with mental health, stress management, and cognitive function is less recognized. Slow-wave, or deep sleep, and rapid eye movement, or REM, sleep, are key to restorative rest. During these cycles, the brain recovers from its daily workload, prioritizes information, commits lessons to memory, and dumps non-essential data.
A well-rested service member learns faster, is more resilient to stress, and has greater cognitive function compared to one with low quality (not enough slow-wave or REM sleep) or a low quantity of sleep. In fact, a recent study of more than 5,000 Army soldiers showed that soldiers had lower body fat percentage, exercised more per week, and were significantly less likely to use tobacco compared to those who slept less than seven hours a night. Essentially, the military gets a better service member when they are well rested.
https://www.militarytimes.com/opinion/2023/12/12/a-lack-of-sleep-is-breaking-the-us-military/
