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Sleep Problems Can Have Both Short- and Long-Term Negative Effects, but Evidence-Based Interventions Can Help

• Sleep problems are common across the force, but their prevalence is particularly high among servicemembers who have deployed to conflict environments.
• A survey of personnel showed that insufficient sleep duration, poor sleep quality, fatigue and daytime impairment, were all common. Sleep problems can compromise operational effectiveness and make it difficult for servicemembers to resume their lives after returning home from a deployment.
• Sleep problems can lead to the development of serious mental health conditions, including post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and traumatic brain injury. Treating sleep disturbances early on may be an important preventive strategy to reduce the risk of downstream mental health consequences.
• There is evidence that cognitive-behavioral therapy and imagery rehearsal therapy for insomnia may be effective in helping to alleviate sleep problems and address these correlated conditions, but dissemination of these strategies remains a challenge.

Policies and Programs Promoting Sleep Health Are Available to Servicemembers, but Barriers Challenge Their Implementation

• Policies to guide treatment for sleep disorders and promote healthy sleep practices among servicemembers and veterans often lack specificity. For example, operational policies mandating sleep plans lack detailed guidance for implementing the plans.
• Even with evidence-based policies and programs to promote sleep health, it can be difficult for servicemembers to get the rest they need. Barriers to healthy sleep include possible stigma associated with taking breaks, widespread use of energy drinks and caffeine supplements, noisy and uncomfortable sleeping spaces, and a lack of a centralized repository for sleep-related policies and information to promote sleep health.