Law enforcement is the most sleep deprived occupation. This sleep deprivation impacts the officers’, their department, and the public they serve. Thankfully, there’s now more information about how sleep impacts our health, from blood pressure and heart disease, to anxiety and depression. Personal performance can also be impacted, from cognitive function to impulse control. Officers will learn how their personal health may be impacted, and complete the self-assessment to review with their healthcare provider to make sure risks are mitigated and health optimized. Focus on how much sleep is needed, versus how many hours of sleep police officers get. For leadership, this information is critical to understand the officer’s experience, and create a positive sleep culture in the department. 

Our bodies have 24 hour cycles, with sleep-wake being the most apparent. But did you know that every organ, even every cell, has a circadian rhythm too? There are times of day when performance is better, and times when it’s more challenging. Our circadian system is healthiest when we are synchronized with the natural light-dark patterns of our environment. Meal and exercise times are other important time cues. For police this can be a challenge, particularly when working extended shifts, night shifts, or a rotating schedule. Learn how to strengthen your circadian system, and identify the times of day that are your best for various tasks (including police officer sleep!). 

Law enforcement officers need to be vigilant in the course of their work. But those high levels of vigilance can interfere with police sleeping. Fortunately, there are skills that you can learn to calm your system and be ready for sleep. We’ll start with healthy wind-down practices, so your nervous system is calm before you even go to bed. A key part of this is learning to set your thoughts aside to calm a racing mind. Other strategies help you fall asleep once you’re in bed. All these together work to reduce vigilance and allow peaceful sleep. Additional help is sometimes needed, and you will get resources for finding that support. 

Many officers are doing the hard work of being on duty overnight. Though it’s a necessary part of the job, our whole body is designed for sleep at night. Being on the night shift schedule impacts our performance, and increases some health risks. Learn how to use precisely timed light, darkness, meal timing and other strategies to shift your body clock. This will increase law enforcement alertness, performance and safety in the middle of the night, and improve your ability to sleep during the day. Learning these sleep skills will pay off every time you do night shift!