Sleep Deprivation May Affect Police Performance, Safety - East Idaho News
Health

Sleep Deprivation May Affect Police Performance, Safety

  Published at

Thinkstock N 031711 Policeman?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1324472073767Jupiterimages/Thinkstock(BOSTON) — Sleep deprivation may affect up to 4 in 10 police officers, leading to higher rates of safety violations, anger toward suspects, falling asleep while driving and other dangerous situations, new research suggests.

In a study published in this week’s Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston surveyed nearly 5,000 police officers in North America. They found that 40 percent of the cops studied had a sleep disorder, many undiagnosed and untreated. The disorders, added the researchers, had implications for the officers’ health and performance, and subsequently for public safety.

“Excessive sleepiness” is “common in police officers,” study authors noted. “This is despite police officers apparently recognizing the dangers associated with drowsy driving; in a survey of North American police officers, almost 90 percent regarded drowsy driving to be as dangerous as drunk driving.”

Demanding schedules may be to blame.

“Many police officers are at an even greater risk of poor outcomes because they are often required to work overnight, on rotating shifts, or both,” they wrote.

Police officers are far from alone in sleep troubles.  At least 40 million Americans suffer from chronic sleep disorders each year; an additional 20 million experience occasional sleeping problems.  Undiagnosed and untreated sleep disorders interfere with personal health and lead to sleep deprivation, which leads to an increase in the risk of accidents and injuries.

After two years of monthly follow-ups, the study found that the officers also had a higher rate of reporting serious administrative errors, making safety violations attributed to fatigue, exhibiting anger toward suspects, falling asleep while driving or during meetings, and absenteeism.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

SUBMIT A CORRECTION