Summer is almost here! So I thought I would post some timely information about sleep deprivation. My new favorite book, Superfoods Healthstyle by Steven Pratt and Kathy Matthews, has a section on sleep (pages 237-251). I wanted to sum up some of the information and how I thought it applied to cadet performance at encampments.

A proper amount of sleep for most cadets is 8 to 9 hours, with 8 hours best for older cadets and senior members.

Effects of sleep deprivation:

- Causes a decline in mental performance. This effect has been seen in studies where participants got six hours of sleep (typical at many encampments). And the participants in the study didn't even realize that they were performing more poorly. This means that a cadet (or senior!) who is getting 6 hours of sleep is thinking more slowly, making mistakes and has less attention to detail and doesn't even know it. So much for the cadet who says "I'm fine on four hours!"

- Causes people to try less. In one study, not only were the participants slower during tasks, but they chose less difficult tasks. During encampment we're trying to motivate our cadets during challenging activities. Sleep deprivation makes motivating and energizing cadets more difficult.

- Takes a toll on the immune system, leaving cadets more vulnerable to getting sick.

- "In one study, curtailing sleep to four hours per night for six nights impaired glucose tolerance and lowered insulin secretion in healthy well-rested young men." What does this mean? This means that only a week of sleep deprivation can mess up your hormones and the way you process food. Your body needs 8 hours of sleep to function properly.

- Causes impairment that is similar to when a person is over the legal limit of alcohol in their system. Imagine an inspection or drill competition drunk! That's what missing sleep does.

I can hear it now, "But Allison, we have to stay up late because of XYZ." So I thought of:

Some typical excuses for staying up late and some alternate ideas:

- The staff meeting went long
Set time limits on nightly meetings. After a certain point, no one will pay attention anyways. One idea is to NOT have an all-staff meeting. The flight sergeants don't need to hear what the photography NCO is up to. Schedule meetings during the middle of the day if possible, during cadet classes for example.

- We had a fire drill
With the number of twisted ankles from nighttime fire drills, just have a fire drill during the day instead, talk about nighttime fire exit procedures and leave it at that.

- I had to prepare my uniform for the next day
Get your uniforms perfect before encampment. If you know there is going to be an obstacle course, try to bring a beat up pair of boots so you won't ruin your shiny ones (my grubby boots cost $25 at a thrift store). Use time-management and prepare your uniform during the day. Also, it does NOT take 3 hours to prepare a uniform! Chatting is not part of uniform preparation.

- I had CQ
For some encampments, CQ is a must. Hire a staff member for CQ only, and they can sleep during the day. Or, if you've got 56 or more cadets for a 7 night encampment, each cadet will only lose two hours of sleep once during the week for a two hour CQ shift in pairs.

- By staying up three hours to prepare the next day's schedule, review for the quiz bowl and prepare for the barracks inspection, I'm giving my cadets an edge.
Cadet staff with this line of thinking start putting on their canteens upside-down and their shirts inside-out because they're so tired. Or they get a bad cold. A cadet staff member is best serving their cadets by getting a full night's sleep so they can be alert and motivated the next day. Plan as much before encampment as you can!

- I drank 3 energy drinks!!!! I'm fine!!! I don't need sleep! Wheeeee!!
Energy drinks and coffee cannot replace a good night's sleep. And having caffeine after lunch can make it even more difficult to fall asleep when you do go to bed.

I think that cadets and senior members need to view sleep at encampment as a safety issue and a performance issue. If our goals at encampment include learning anything, then sleep needs to be a priority! I believe that senior members need to enforce a lights out rule, especially for staff cadets.

So those are my thoughts. By the way, I definitely recommend Superfoods RX and Superfoods Healthstyle!