0212 Insufficient Sleep and Behavioral Health in the Military: A 5-Nation Perspective

Abstract Introduction Insufficient sleep (< 7 hours per night) degrades both health and performance and constitutes a risk to military mission success. Accordingly, militaries across the globe are increasingly focusing on sleep management, including the role that leaders play in fostering and promoting a healthy sleep culture. In the present study, we assessed survey data from the militaries of five nations on: 1) sleep behavior, 2) the relationship between sleep behavior and mental health, and 3) the role leaders play in improving service member sleep. The goal was to determine the extent to which insufficient sleep, its link to behavioral health, and the role of leaders were relevant in militaries across allied English-speaking nations. Methods Data from five nations: Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States were assessed. Each nation administered a survey to a military sample, including questions on sleep problems (e.g., Insomnia Severity Index) and mental health. In addition, some countries assessed how first-line leaders addressed sleep in their units using items from the sleep leadership scale. Each data collection differed in terms of scope, setting, and objective. Results Insufficient sleep (< 7 hours per night) was reported by 34.9%, 67.2% and 95.4% of survey respondents from the New Zealand Defence Force, Canadian Armed Forces, and the US Army, respectively. Those reporting shorter mean sleep durations also reported fewer sleep difficulties, likely reflecting higher sleep pressure from chronic sleep loss. Across all five nations, sleep problems (e.g., difficulty falling asleep) were positively correlated with behavioral health symptoms (e.g., depression and anxiety symptoms). Importantly, leader engagement in promoting healthy sleep was positively correlated with sleep duration and negatively correlated with sleep problems and behavioral health symptoms. Conclusion Insufficient sleep is pervasive in the militaries of the nations included in the present study – a finding that has serious implications for the behavioral health and resilience of service members, and more broadly for the overall effectiveness of these military forces. Across nations, militaries should attend to these risks and examine ways that first-line leaders can promote healthy sleep in their service members. Support (if any) Department of Defense Military Operational Medicine Research Program