Sleep disorders in policemen can lead to enhanced atherosclerosis
Dr Nasreen Akhtar
Police officers are exposed to several occupational stressors such as long work hours, sleep deprivation, traumatic and unpredictable events, shift work (defined as work occurring outside typical daytime working hours), chemical hazards, and other organizational stressors. Occupational stressors like these make the police officers prone to sleep loss and sleep fragmentation. In most cases, either the police officers are not diagnosed with sleep disorders or do not take regular treatment for it. Obstructive sleep apnoea is the most prevalent sleep disorder among police officers. Working out of phase from their habitual hours is another. The pooled prevalence of bad sleep quality in police officers was reported as 51%. One of the pathways mediating the relationship between sleep fragmentation and atherosclerosis is increased cortisol from increased stress degranulates more neutrophils, causing increase in the proinflammatory marker Nuclear Factor Kappa Beta. This is known to enhance atherosclerosis. There is a need for assessment of interventions to address sleep irregularities among policemen, and whether they can reduce cardiovascular disease risk over the long term.
Introduction
Sleep disorders are common and are largely undiagnosed and untreated in police officers. A comprehensive sleep disorders screening program found that 40.4% of police officers reported symptoms consistent with at least one sleep disorder.
The majority reported not having been diagnosed in the past or not taking regular treatment. Police officers who screened positive for a sleep disorder were likely to report more actual and near-miss administrative errors and safety violations.
The loss of even 2 hours of nightly sleep for one week is associated with decrements in performance comparable with those seen after 24 hours of continuous wakefulness. Sleep disorders resulting in chronic sleep efficiency may therefore adversely effect on-the job performance.
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