The Veteran’s Association and Department of Defense recently released guidelines for managing insomnia and obstructive sleep apnea among patients in their health care system, Healio reports.
“Sleep disorders are highly prevalent in military service members and veterans, and more prevalent in these populations than civilians,” co-author Christi Ulmer, PhD, an assistant professor in psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Duke University School of Medicine and faculty in the Durham VA Healthcare System Behavioral Medicine Post-Doctoral training program, told Healio Primary Care.
One study found that among surveyed military personnel, 48.6% had poor sleep quality. Another found that the prevalence of insomnia symptoms among service members was 41% in those deployed in combat and 25% among those who did not serve in combat.
“To date, however, health care providers have not been provided with clear guidance on how to address the [two] most prominent sleep disorders, insomnia disorder and obstructive sleep apnea,” Ulmer said. “The VA/DoD Clinical Practice Guidelines were written with frontline providers in mind and offer an evidence-based approach to management of these conditions.”
