Sleep Disorders Common Among Police Officers

About 40 percent of cops in the United States and Canada suffer from sleep problems, reveals US study.

Of nearly 5,000 police officers who took part in an online survey, 40 percent had at least one sleep disorder, most commonly obstructive sleep apnea, followed by insomnia and shift work disorder.

About Sleep Disorder
Sleep disorders can either be having difficulty in getting sleep or dozing off at inappropriate time.

Those who had sleeping problems were more likely to report feelings of depression, burnout, and dozing at the wheel than those who slept well. Poor sleepers also showed higher rates of diabetes, heart disease and caffeine intake.

The study, led by Shantha Rajaratnam of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, appears in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

While excessive sleepiness was reported by nearly 29 percent of participants, even more admitted to having fallen asleep while driving (46 percent) and 57 percent said it happened at least once or twice per month.

Quiz on Sleep Disorder
The comfort of modern life comes at the cost of restful sleep! "Laugh and the world laughs with you, snore and you sleep alone-Anthony Burgess" Scientifically it is proven that a good night's sleep is imperative for maintaining a balance between the physical, emotional and behavioral well-being of a person.

Fourteen percent said they dozed while driving at least once or twice in a single week.

Sleepy cops were also more likely to take out their frustrations on the public.

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Epworth Sleepiness Scale
Measure your daytime sleepiness using this simple interactive tool, based on Epworth Sleepiness disorder Scale. Excessive Daytime Sleepiness is a type of hypersomnia characterized by persistent sleepiness and lack of energy.

Police who screened positive for sleep disorders "were more likely to report... making errors or committing safety violations due to fatigue; having uncontrolled anger toward a citizen or suspect; incurring citizen complaints; having absenteeism; or falling asleep during meetings," the study said.

The study included sworn police officers at the local and state levels. Most were in the United States (97 percent), while three percent were in Canada.

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Sleeping Disorders
How many times have you stayed awake in the dead of the night counting sheep? If it is fairly often then you could be suffering from a sleep disorder!

Since the survey was described as the first attempt to systematically assess sleep disorders in police and their effects on performance, the researchers called for more investigation into how sleep problems could be avoided.

"A large proportion of police officers in our sample showed a positive sleep disorder screening result, which was associated with adverse health, safety, and performance outcomes," the study said.

"Further research is needed to determine whether sleep disorder prevention, screening, and treatment programs in occupational settings will reduce these risks."

Sleep disorders affect 50-70 million Americans, but often go undiagnosed and untreated, the study said.

Source-AFP