A KFOX 14 news report examines the sleep deprivation program of the US Army post Fort Bliss to help ensure soldiers get adequate sleep.
The US Army is leading the charge for soldiers to get more sleep. In 2013, the Army began sleep deprivation class for servicemen and women who aren’t counting as many sheep as they should.
It’s part of the Performance Triad, which is the Army program to make sure soldiers are getting proper amount of sleep, nutrition and exercise.
Fort Bliss, in collaboration with William Beaumont, was one of the first three Army installations to start the sleep deprivation program. Some of the sleep problems soldiers in the program found were insomnia and poor cycle management.
The Army says if soldiers — or even average citizens — don’t get the recommended seven to eight hours of snooze time, it could have some pretty serious side effects.
“If they’re seeing sleep deprivation on a routine basis, which means less than four or five hours of sleep each night – that means good, quality, uninterrupted sleep – then they could actually be performing cognitively as (a level comparable to) somebody with a blood alcohol content of 0.08,” said Lt. Col. Cyndi McLean.
