Without a sufficient amount of quality sleep, a police officer can experience impaired performance. However, it is not only performance, but also physical and mental health that can be adversely affected. Compared to other professions, police officers on both the night shift and the day shift report less total sleep and worse sleep quality.1 Those officers with a sleep disorder (compared to those without) showed an increased risk of a safety violation or error due to fatigue, uncontrolled anger toward a suspect, absenteeism, or serious administrative errors.2 Making sure that officers of all ranks are getting optimal sleep can maximize performance and help ensure a healthy police force.
