The Importance of Sleep
By Robert Jonsen , Chief of Police for the Palo Alto Police Department
As law enforcement professionals , our commitment to serve leads to a near constant disruption of our sleep patterns . Whether due to working long hours , covering night shifts , attending to court appearances , or personal and family commitments , our schedules are both demanding and inconsistent . Most of us do this for decades without significant consideration to the toll this takes on our bodies , nervous system , and general wellbeing . But after reading , “ Why We Sleep ” by Matthew Walker , Ph . D ., the importance of sleep is clear , and the need to optimize our sleep becomes irrefutable .
Dr . Walker explains that inadequate sleep negatively affects our ability to think clearly , impairs our physical performance , and increases the likelihood of becoming overweight or obese . Nearly two-thirds of adults do not get the recommended eight hours of sleep per night . In law enforcement this problem is exacerbated because our profession certainly does not regularly allow an undisrupted optimal night of sleep . In fact , most people I know in our profession consider it a win if they sleep for just six hours . We have a long-standing mentality to “ Get up and go , and sleep when you ’ re dead ,” but it is imperative that we start thinking about sleep differently .
Dr . Walker ’ s research and message are clear , “ less sleep leads to a shorter life .” Moreover , one could also argue that less sleep leads to a less enjoyable life by a variety of measures . He states , “ Routinely sleeping less than six or seven hours a night demolishes your immune system , more
18 California Police Chief | www . californiapolicechiefs . org than doubling your risk for cancer .” Insufficient sleep is also linked to an increased risk of Alzheimer ’ s disease , and clearly increases the risk of heart attack and stroke . And that is only the beginning !
It is now known that sleep deprivation has a series of negative impacts on performance . Sleep deprivation reduces alertness , diminishes your ability to learn , decreases emotional regulation , and increases impulsivity , all without us even realizing that we are impaired in any way . There are still those of us who think we do just fine with six hours of sleep , but for more than 95 % of us the research proves this is not the case . In fact , with less than eight hours of sleep our physical performance , often crucial in our line of work , is reduced to about 70 % of our optimal output . And potentially even more serious , we are at increased risk of injury . Research has shown that over the course of a single season , athletes who averaged less than six hours of sleep were injured 60 % more often than athletes who regularly slept eight to nine hours per night .
The value of sleep in both physical and mental recovery cannot be over-emphasized . Neuroscientists have established that the brain uses 25 % of our energy and processes approximately 90,000 thoughts per day - this is one busy system ! And our brains do best with consistent