Remaining  ready  to  provide  a  full-spectrum  of  worldwide  military  operations  requires  sacrifice  —  sometimes  of  a  basic  need:  Sleep.

The  111th  Attack  Wing  at  the  Horsham  Air  Guard  Station  in  Pennsylvania,  host  to  a  remotely-piloted  aircraft  (RPA)  unit,  conducts  a  24/7  mission,  requiring  shift-work  schedules  in  certain  career  fields.  And  like  many  other  military  members  safeguarding  the  homeland,  Guardsmen  here  may  have  a  greater  potential  for  developing  sleep  disorders.

According  to  Sleep  Foundation,  “Shift  work  disorder  can  be  caused  by  night  shifts,  rotating  shifts,  or  even  an  early  morning  shift.  It  can  cause  chronic  sleep  deprivation…This  kind  of  chronic  loss  of  sleep  has  serious  implications  for  health,  productivity  and  safety.”

Recognizing  this,  the  111th  ATKW  took  a  proactive  approach  to  increase  Airmen’s  resiliency.

Sleep  specialist  speaks  to  airmen

Last  month,  Dr.  Richard  E.  Friedenheim,  Abington  Pulmonary  and  Critical  Care  Associates  Sleep  Disorder  Center  medical  director,  spoke  at  the  installation  to  an  audience  composed  predominately  of  the  111th  Operations  Group  members.

Friedenheim  addressed  common  sleep  disorders.  Treating  these  disturbances  is  not  only  a  measure  to  promote  physical  health;  but  it  may  also  assist  in  mission  accomplishment.

“People  who  are  sleep  deprived  can  perform  like  someone  who  is  intoxicated,”  said  Friedenheim.  “Performance  on  nerve-cognitive  testing,  driving  tests  and  other  simulations  prove  that  both  can  be  equally  harmful,  more  than  many  might  expect.”

It’s  difficult  to  argue  that  a  well-rested  operator  is  likely  to  perform  more  effectively  than  if  exhausted.  Yet,  sleep  may  be  more  elusive  for  those  in  fields  requiring  a  heightened  level  of  attention.  This  paradox  can  occur  in  the  high-stress,  high-stakes  work  of  the  RPA  mission,  Friedenheim  said.

“My  suspicion  is  that  [some  Wing  members  here]  may  have  disjointed  schedules;  and  so,  the  prevalence  of  sleep  disorders  among  certain  occupations  here  is  high.”

Visible  by  the  flurry  of  questions  upon  Friedenheim’s  conclusion,  his  statement  resonated  with  many  in  the  audience.

A  103rd  Attack  Squadron  technical  sergeant,  part  of  the  111th  OG,  asked  Friedenheim,  “I  was  wondering,  how  bad  is  shift  work  for  your  sleep  quality?”

“Horrible,”  answered  Friedenehim.  “But  there  are  things  you  can  do  to  counter  the  negatives.”

He continued by listing recommendations to counter unideal work-sleep cycles. Measures for those working nights include minimizing bright lights before and during sleep hours; wearing sunglasses for the post-shift commute; limiting stimulating and monitoring alcohol and nicotine consumption Also, he explained how to time napping and caffeine intake to correlate with healthy sleep hygiene.

Inquiries ranging from body position to medication followed, with audience members actively involved throughout the question-and-answer opportunity. The continuous flow of queries demonstrated the operations group’s acute interest in the subject of sleep.

But sleep disorders in shift-working Airmen isn’t a new theme.

Last year, the 363rd Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va., devoted an episode of their podcast, The Pillars, to the topic. In that resiliency-based audio, many of the recommendations discussed mirrored those of Freidman’s presentation.

“On our way over here to record, I was talking about the life of the shift worker,” said podcast host 363rd ISRW Chaplain (Maj.) Jim Bridgham, “Just going from the nights to the days…it really impacts your sleep and sleep quality. Sometimes you feel like you’re not rested throughout the day.”

Additionally, RAND Corp. conducted a study titled, Airman and Family Resilience, Lessons from the Scientific Literature. In the report, RAND offered research and recommendations to the Air Force to help strengthen the development resilience among Airmen, civilian employees and Air Force families. Sleep hygiene was noted in the final recommendations.

Despite the complications, shift work is inevitable in battling current global threats. And sleep disorders caused by these schedules may be a difficulty Wing members face in the profession of arms. But through 111th ATKW programs, the goal is to create and maintain a robust Air Guard force – by recognizing hardships, providing information and instilling hope.

“There’s anxiety; you do a very stressful job and that comes with a catch,” Friedenheim said, replying to a 103rd ATKS pilot. “…And treating [sleep disorders] is not like flicking a light switch, it can take time. But there’s hope at the end of the tunnel.”