The rate of insomnia among troops shot up 652% after the invasion of Iraq, according to a new study, raising concerns that increased deployment is having a detrimental effect on performance.
The study, conducted by the Sleep Research Society, analyzed the sleep patterns of 1.3 million troops between 1997 and 2011. While researchers saw a general upward trend in incidents of insomnia, the numbers increased significantly after 2003, the year in which the United States invaded Iraq.
“Deployment-related factors associated with these operations such as physical and emotional stressors from hostile environments, mission-related maladaptive sleep practices, uncomfortable or otherwise inhospitable sleeping environments, and a culture that minimizes the importance of sleep may explain at least a portion of the upward trends in insomnia,” the study said.
Deployments rose sharply after 2003 with the military’s need for troops to fight in both Afghanistan and Iraq. Veterans of the two wars have been deployed at significantly higher rates than veterans of previous wars. A 2013 RAND study found that since 2008, the amount of time a soldier in the Army spent deployed increased by 28%.
Insomnia is a disorder that makes it difficult for an individual to fall or stay asleep. People suffering from insomnia can experience fatigue, low energy, difficulty concentrating, mood disturbances, and decreased performance at work or school. Insomnia may also contribute to other health problems, including cardiovascular disease and diabetes. While insomnia has been on the rise been on the rise across the U.S. population over the last 15 years, rates among military members are significantly higher.
There may be a cultural element to the problem, in addition to frequent deployments.
“Some of it comes from a demanding schedule that has most awake at 5:00 for exercise, and work can go late in the evening,” retired Army Lt. Gen. Thomas Spoehr told the Washington Examiner.
“Along with that comes a lot of caffeine intake, which makes it hard to get good sleep once you finally quit working.”
Spoehr recalled when he was in Iraq in 2011 he saw troops “completely addicted to Starbucks iced coffee” consuming “a mammoth amount of caffeine every day.”
“Those habits continue when you come back to the States and are hard to break,” he added.
Energy drinks are also a popular way for troops to get their caffeine fix, Rip It being a military-wide favorite. The beverage is so common among service members, it has become a meme.
Insomnia is “definitely an occupational hazard,” Dr. David Brodner, a sleep medicine specialist who works with veterans, told the Washington Examiner. He noted irregular schedules, noise pollution, and night operations are all familiar aspects of military life that can contribute to insomnia.
The military has been aware of the problem for some time, according to Brodner. He pointed to a 2015 RAND study that found a lack of sleep degraded the cognitive abilities of troops.
The Pentagon has contracted Noctem, a sleep research company, to conduct sleep trials with 800 Marines and sailors, according to the Military Times. Researchers plan to have clinicians communicate with troops via a smartphone app that can help them create a tailored plan to alleviate individual sleep issues.
