0196 Sleep Quantity and Quality in US Army Infantry Soldiers Before, During, and Following a 72-hour Sustained Training Exercise. (12th April 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Devine, Jaime; Carlsson, Kajsa; Mickelson, Carolyn; Choynowski, Jake; Burke, Tina; Brown, Stephanie; Capaldi, Vincent; Hussey, Erika; Ramsay, John; Sowden, Walter
• Is Part Of: Sleep. Volume 42(2019)Supplement 1
• Page Start: A80
• Page End: A80
• Publication Date: 2019-04-12
• Subjects: Sleep -- Physiological aspects -- Periodicals; Sleep disorders -- Periodicals; Sommeil -- Aspect physiologique -- Périodiques; Sommeil, Troubles du -- Périodiques; Sleep disorders; Sleep -- Physiological aspects; Sleep -- physiological aspects; Sleep Wake Disorders; Psychophysiology; Electronic journals; Periodicals; 616.8498
• DOI: 10.1093/sleep/zsz067.195
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0161-8105

Abstract

Abstract: Introduction: Infantry Soldiers are expected to participate in extended tactical missions that can be cognitively and physically demanding. Soldiers are expected to be self-sufficient without re-supply for up to 72 hours. During this time, opportunities for sleep are sporadic and limited, but have not been directly documented. It is therefore important to identify patterns of sleep before, during and following operations in order to pinpoint how sleep loss affects the mission and in what ways fatigue can be minimized. Methods: Active-duty, medically-fit Soldiers (N=46) who were already scheduled to participate in the training exercise were recruited for participation. The study occurred across three phases: Baseline occurred within the month leading up to the training exercise; Mission was the 72 hour training, and Recovery, the 5 days following the end of the training exercise. Participants wore Actiwatch Spectrum Pros or Pluses for the duration of the study. Sleep duration and efficiency were analyzed using Philips Actiware 6.0 and compared between phases using a one-way ANOVA in SPSS 24. Sleep differences across phases were confirmed by Tukey HSD post-hoc analysis. Results: Soldiers slept less during Mission (3:08±2:38hrs;p<0.001) compared to Baseline (4:56±2:21;p<0.001) or Recovery (4:39±2:16;p<0.001). Soldiers also had worse sleep efficiency during Mission (72.65±20.52%;p<0.001) compared to Baseline (81.26±11.23%;p<0.001) or Recovery (84.25±10.09%;p<0.001). Conclusion: During Mission, Soldiers averaged 3 hours of sleep. Soldiers only slept on average 5 hours before and during recovery from this exercise. Sleep efficiency also suffered during Mission. These findings indicate that Soldiers are chronically sleep deprived. While sleep loss during sustained operations may be unavoidable, pre-existing fatigue may handicap performance from the onset and accumulate over time. This risk could be mediated by sleep banking prior to mission or recouping sleep loss during the recovery period. Support (If Any): Military Operational Medicine Research Program and Natick Soldier Research Development Engineering Center.