Sleep Quality and Disorders ion Police Officers
Dr. Nasreen Akhtar
Police officers are susceptible populations for poor sleep and the occurrence of sleep disorders. Long working hours, irregular shift work and exposure to traumatic events make them a group vulnerable to sleep restriction and sleep disorders. Short sleep duration in police officers has been shown to be associated with obesity, hypertension, and metabolic syndrome and increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. The association of poor sleep with poor mental health and depression is also proven. A strategic intervention to makeshift duties more aligned to circadian rhythm and promotion of sleep hygiene among police officers is required.
Introduction
Policemen have long working hours, shift duties, exposure to stressful environments, long driving hours and frequent exposure to traumatic events. They often have to make quick decisions in complicated and ambiguous situations (Fekedulegn et al., 2016; Rajaratnam et al., 2011; Vila, 2006). This places them at risk for poor sleep quality, the occurrence of sleep disorders and excessive fatigue, increasing the probability of fatal and non-fatal accidents among officers themselves and the general public (Fekedulegn et al., 2016). Short sleep duration predisposes to chronic health conditions such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular disease (Buxton & Marcelli, 2010). Some studies have systematically studied the effect of poor sleep quality in police officers. Figure 1 depicts the country-wise distribution of studies on sleep quality in police officers, a meta-analysis of which has been published recently (Garbarino, Guglielmi, Puntoni, Bragazzi, & Magnavita, 2019).
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