Recent studies have shown that 95% of adults need seven to eight hours of sleep a night. A decrease in sleep leads to chronic fatigue and mental exhaustion.
Once we reach that point, our self-control and decision-making abilities are compromised and decrease dramatically. This can be the difference between life and death in the military.
In today’s high tech and high tempo battlefield, extra doses of caffeine and “go pills” are not cutting it. Recent sleep scientists have proven that sleep is not a nice-to-have in the military — it is a necessity.
Soldiers are more likely to make detrimental mistakes when sleep-deprived, so the military is starting to experiment with more “strategic naps” (much different than the naps we took on our mats in preschool).
According to these studies, a prophylactic nap taken before a night operation can be as useful as repeated dosing of 150mg of caffeine (which equals 12 cups of coffee!). These naps restore cognitive abilities and increase reaction times to external threats.
While the majority of my readers are not currently in the Armed Forces, the principle still applies. We all need to rest and take breaks from the rigors of our daily lives.
