SILVER SPRING, Md. –
Researchers from the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research’s Behavioral Biology Branch have developed an infographic to provide sleep hygiene practices for optimal warfighter alertness under extreme weather and seasonal light variations.
Current Army doctrine stipulates that service members must have at least four hours of sleep per day during operations. Soldiers training under austere weather and light conditions often obtain less than the recommended amount and are chronically sleep-deprived by extreme temperature and light disturbances. The ramifications of sleep deprivation are significant for warfighter readiness: the Behavioral Biology Branch’s 2022 study reported that soldiers with inadequate sleep were more than twice as likely to report a health problem, and those reporting cold weather sleep disturbances were more than five times as likely to report a health problem.
Additionally, the Northern Warfare Training Center’s Cold Weather Student Handout reports that the Army’s sleeping bag is currently designed for temperatures ranging from above 50 degrees to -30 degrees Fahrenheit. Soldiers operating in temperatures below -30 degrees risk additional sleep deprivation because the compression of this sleeping bag was not designed to provide warmth under such extreme conditions. As a result, service members may lack Army-issued gear that meets their individual warmth needs.
“Extreme cold temperatures can increase wakefulness, decrease sleep duration, and lead to disrupted sleep. These impacts can be minimized through education on the proper use of cold weather gear and leveraging the tips and tricks provided for maximizing sleep in extreme cold weather environments,” said Maj. Rachell Jones, chief of the Behavioral Biology Branch’s Operational Research Team.
This is especially important for soldiers training in regions like the arctic and on NATO’s northeastern frontier, where battalions are being upscaled to combat-ready brigades to enhance deterrence and defense against near-peer threats.
To best ensure warfighter readiness, the infographic developed by Behavioral Biology Branch researchers can be found at
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