Police officers often robbed of sleep

[Xiphos]

Duh.

Police officers often robbed of sleep - CBS News

In a survey of nearly 5,000 police officers from the U.S. and Canada, about 40% of the officers were found to have at least one sleep disorder. Obstructive sleep apnea was the most frequent problem. A third of the officers were found to have this blockage of the airways that repeatedly interrupts bedtime breathing.

Researchers also found that more than 6% of the police officers had moderate-to-severe insomnia and slightly more than 5% had shift work disorders, especially those working nights.

[Car 4]

Wow...they actually paid money for that?

Car 4

[Jks9199]

Guys, we need to do a study. How about bright sunlight: does it hurt the eyes and make it hard ... and split the money as we announce the incredible finding of YES and YES.

[Xiphos]

All joking aside, having studies like this can help us when we ask for accommodations in shift work schedules, or illness/injury resulting from working midnights and having court all day.

[kjlaw]

As a member of the study I was much like many of us in that I knew Police officers are sleep deprived.


After taking part in the study that required me to track my work hours, sleep hours, and total hours awake I did find patterns that I had not seen prior and was able to make changes to my sleep and work schedules.

[keith720]

Sometimes it seems like I live life tired.

[Rhino]

I know most people are going to just scoff and say "No sh!t."

But take the time to read the article and be aware of the effects little or no sleep has on you.

I'm sure we've seen "that guy" in our department who works shift all night and part times all day. He's tired and miserable, but his home, boat, and car are all but paid for. But doing that stuff catches up to you. And if you don't care about making that mistake that might keep you from going home, imagine the horror of having to live with a mistake where an innocent person died at your hands, ultimately, because you didn't get enough sleep and were just a little less sharp than you could have been.

Hopefully this study will produce medical guidelines that will govern policies on shift work and how we sleep. But even if it doesn't, it's up to us to take personal responsibility for our well-being. Remember, guys, it's "One Asterisk." So make sure that ass is well-rested.

Thanks for sharing that, Xiphos.

[jcsdscott]

This isn't news to me, but should be on the news.

[countybear]

What is this "sleep" you speak of?

[ChesCopPodz]

Like xiphos said, having it published can only help us.

As for me, I don't have apnea, but I do wake up multiple times per day/night, and am addicted to sleeping pills.

I definitely fall under the 40%.

[Xiphos]

Like xiphos said, having it published can only help us.

As for me, I don't have apnea, but I do wake up multiple times per day/night, and am addicted to sleeping pills.

I definitely fall under the 40%.

This past summer working graves I needed pills to sleep and then pills to stay awake and I felt awful all the time. This fall I got onto a normal schedule and now I feel great. Try a couple months on evenings or days and reboot.

[keith720]

Ambien is my friend! I am an extremely light sleeper, and when I hop into bed, my mind is usually going about 1000 miles an hour. Therefore, Ambien puts me out, but usually only for 4 hours or so. I usually fall back to sleep, but it takes a few minutes, and then it's off and on.

[lewisipso]

Some of you would shit if you worked here.

[countybear]

Some of you would shit if you worked here.

Amen to that.

[Cidp24]

When I was younger I seemed to do ok with crazy sleeping hours. Now I try to plan for an uninterruped 6 hrs minimum. Grown kids and a fairly stable schedule has really helped that. Now if my schedule gets janked and I have to work a night or two, it messes me up for several days. They say the older you get the less you need sleep but I seem to be oposite from that.

The study can definitely be used to help law enforcement in general. I'm all for it.

[keith720]

I can't remember the last time I slept more than 6-straight hours!

[Ducky]

I typically wake up after five hours and have to convince myself to go back to sleep again. I also have a very hard time going to sleep, which is worse if I'm not really TIRED but have to get to bed, but a half dose of Nyquil has become my go-to solution with my doctor's permission. It also helps cut down on the snoring.