Sleep matters, and many officers don’t need another reminder. Every wellness briefing and medical appointment already says it. Exhausted law enforcement officers are among the most studied professionals in high-risk jobs.¹^[1]Allison, P., Tiesman, H. M., Wong, I. S., Bernzweig, D., James, L., James, S. M., Navarro, K. M., & Patterson, P. D. (2022). Working Hours, Sleep, and Fatigue in the Public Safety Sector: A … Continue reading “Get more sleep” has become another version of “drink more water.”

Plenty of officers already understand the risk and respond with, “If I could sleep more, I would.” Treating sleep as a choice ignores rotating shifts, interrupted nights, back-to-back calls and the way a high-alert brain keeps replaying scenarios long after the shift ends. Individuals in threat-ready roles often struggle to downshift because the system is still running.

There are ways to address the need for sleep without telling officers to simply get more of it.

Immediate actions for the real world

If lavender spray on your pillow works for you, great. But for individuals whose nervous systems stay activated long after work ends, sleep requires tactics that meet the body precisely where it is.

If you feel wired when you get home, you may be stuck in sympathetic activation. Try:

• Controlled breathing, such as box or tactical breathing.
• Low-intensity movement, including light stretching or a slow spin on a bike.

If your mind won’t stop replaying the shift, rumination drains energy without creating solutions. Try:

• Writing down the problems and setting them aside.
• Talking through the day with someone who will listen for five to 10 minutes, then shifting topics.

If you fall asleep fast but wake up at 2 a.m., your brain may associate the bed with alertness. Try:

• Leaving the bed and doing a simple, quiet task under dim light.
• Reading something calming, not scrolling on your phone.

If sleep feels shallow, one bad night doesn’t define a pattern. Try:

• Tracking sleep trends to understand what’s actually happening.
• Adjusting environmental factors such as temperature, sheets, pillow and noise.

If you tell yourself you “should” be sleeping better, judgment increases stress. Try:

• Reframing: “I’ve handled this before.”
• Acknowledging the choices that contributed, then moving on.

Training for sleep

Long-term improvement requires training, not reminders. In 2025, the Seattle Police Department saw significant gains after implementing a fatigue risk management program.²^[2]James, L., James, S., & Atherley, L. (2024). Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Fatigue Training Intervention for the Seattle Police Department: Results From a Randomized Control Trial. Journal of … Continue reading Sleep improved. So did mood, alertness and safety indicators, including reduced drowsy driving.

Incorporating sleep awareness into simulation-based training helps connect fatigue to performance. For example, if an instructor notices slower responses, the debrief can address how sleep affects reaction time and decision-making.

Instructors don’t need medical certifications to reinforce the basics of sleep:

• Sleep, nutrition, fitness, stress and performance are linked.
• Exercise and nutrition help. Alcohol and junk food don’t. Mental health matters.
• Consistent routines support the body, even with rotating shifts. Go to sleep and wake up at roughly the same time each day, if possible.
• Use light and sound strategically for alertness and rest. Try a light box to wake up for the night shift and blackout curtains for day sleepers.
• Track sleep patterns, make adjustments and get screened when needed. It may not be your fault, and medical interventions can help.
• Reduce screen time, emotional activation, alcohol, caffeine and heavy meals before bed.

Putting it all to rest

Sleep supports judgment, reaction time and emotional steadiness. We can’t force it on command, and trying harder rarely works. What does work is training the inputs — the habits, rhythms and conditions that make rest possible. Officers deserve training and guidance that fits the actual demands of the job, not just another reminder to “get more sleep.” Start with a few steps that work for a body trained to stay alert, and make sleep part of how you train for everything else.

March is National Sleep Awareness Month

This month is the perfect time to learn about the many benefits of sleep, why it’s essential to your overall health and emotional well-being, and to recommit to improving your sleep health.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that getting quality rest can help you get sick less often, maintain a healthy weight, reduce stress, improve your mood, support heart health and metabolism, and lower the risk of chronic conditions such as heart disease and Type 2 diabetes. Sleep also reduces the risk of motor vehicle crashes and related injury or death and improves attention and memory, helping you perform daily activities more effectively. This is especially important for first responders, who must remain alert and ready to respond to unpredictable calls every day.

A 2025 poll from the National Sleep Foundation examining the connection between healthy sleep and “flourishing,” defined by the organization as being happy, productive at home and work, achieving goals and having a fulfilling social life, found that:

• Nearly 9 in 10 adults (88%) with good sleep satisfaction are flourishing, compared to fewer than half (47%) of those with low sleep satisfaction.
• People who get the recommended 7–9 hours of sleep per night are more likely to flourish.
• More than 7 in 10 people report that they flourish when they get enough quality sleep.
• People with poor sleep health were more likely to be unproductive at home, lack a fulfilling social life, be unproductive at work, fail to achieve their goals and report lower levels of happiness.

With these facts in mind, there is no better time than now to make sleep a priority for your health, safety and performance.