Stress And Sleep In The Law Enforcement Profession

Have you ever wondered what’s it 's like to be a cop? Or what cop’s families go through on a day to day basis? This book Emotional Survival for Law Enforcement written by Kevin M. Gilmartin, Ph.D. gives us an outline on the difficulty and stress that law enforcement officer and their families face on daily basis. Dr. Gilmartin discusses the stages of hypervigilance. And the long-term effects of hypervigilance and the toll it takes on the officer and his or her family.

This evidence proves that there is not just one factor that causes officer stress, but there are many elements that create officer stress. According to the National Institute of Justice, “Enduring stress for a long period of time can lead to anxiety, depression or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)”. “PTSD is a psychological condition marked by an inability to be intimate, inability to sleep, increased nightmares, and increased feelings of guilt and reliving the even”. This evidence proves that if agencies don’t take a more proactive approach in ensuring that correctional officers have the resources available to assist in helping them manage their stress, then officers can occur a more serious psychological issue. Post-traumatic stress not only affects the officer, but it affects the family members of the

Stress happens to everyone and it is usually not seen as something so serious. Police officers usually have higher stress levels due to the fact that people’s safety are in their hands. Historically, law enforcement agencies did not recognize the seriousness of the high levels of stress, and police officers were forced to deal with it on their own. When assistance was finally available, most officers chose not to seek help because it would make them seem weak. However, Police stress needs to be taken into consideration as a serious matter, and even several studies have shown that police fatigue has similar effects as those alcohol. To Police officers, stress caused by the job can sometimes be overwhelming. This can affect their

In the current world, the culture of operating on little sleep seems to be regarded highly. Nowhere is this phenomenon more profound than for 911 telecommunication dispatchers. These employees, who consider sleep deprivation not as unique to their schedule, constantly have to respond to callers and coordinate services to emergency situations involving fires, health situations, burglary cases, car chases, and other situations needing emergency help. However, the effects of sleep deprivation on these workers can be monumental, given that sleep is critical for the normal functioning of the human body. Against this grounding, this article describes the effects of sleep deprivation on 911 telecommunication dispatchers and cites some of the incidents where deprivation caused wrong services to be dispatched, highlights how lack of rest can affect the mood and health of the person and put the lives of the citizens at risk. In addition, illustrates how sleep deprivation jeopardizes the employee, company, and the county the 911 agency represents with regards to law and accountability.

My identified issue is lack of sleep and high stress levels. I do not maintain a schedule that would allow for enough quality sleep. I am also experience stress levels that are high, and suspect that lack of sleep may be a source of some of this stress. I have difficulty falling asleep and occasionally staying asleep. As a result I am often fatigued and tend to crave high fat sugary carbohydrates and overeat on them, to maintain mood and energy.

Officer fatigue can be a quite serious problem for police departments. Excess fatigue will generally reduce alertness, decrease performance and worsen mood. These symptoms can reduce officer's performance and safety with potentially life-threatening effects. Patrol officers are expected to remain alert and able to resolve complex, emotional, and potentially dangerous situations. They are expected to be able to multi-task, as well as stay alert during periods of inaction. These activities can be quite difficult for a fatigued officer to complete (Vila 1996). Community oriented policing efforts can be seriously compromised by officer fatigue with excess officer fatigue harming community-police relations (Vila & Taiji 1999).

The impact of rotating shift work on police officers in terms of fatigue, increased stress, and other long term medical problems cannot be overstated. In 2011, an in-depth research project, “Sleep disorders, health, and safety in police officers” (JAMA, 2011), was conducted involving a group of North American police officers in regards to the sleep disorders and the health and safety of the officers participating. The study involved 4,957 officers that worked rotating shifts over a period of approximately two years. The findings were startling and revealed that 3,930 officers (79.3%) were overweight or obese. Another 40.7% tested positive for at least one (1) sleep disorder and the majority of those that tested positive for a disorder

Throughout the years there has been more attention directed towards healthcare worker fatigue. More specifically, fatigue associated among night-shift nurses. The Joint Commission has found that lack of sleep from night shifts has contributed to increased errors, leading to poor patient outcomes (Gardner, Dubeck, 2016).

Although the community is benefitting from the jail expansion, a concern is the negotiation of a 12-hour shift model with the custodial deputy’s union that reduces the number of positions required (Carlson, 2017). A shift length experiment was conducted and revealed that officers who worked 12-hour shifts were significantly less alert than those on 8-hour shifts (Amendola, Weisburd, Jones, Slipka). Researchers also found that officers with sleep disorders or lack of sleep were more likely to make serious administrative errors or safety violations (Pearsall, 2012). It was also found that officers with sleep disorders experience “uncontrolled anger” toward suspects (Pearsall, 2012). According

On 12 March 2013, Secretary of the Army John McHugh launched the Army’s Ready and Resilient Campaign designed to help in the Army’s effort to build physical, emotional, and psychological resilience in Soldiers. The Performance Triad is a key enabler in this campaign. It’s a health program to educate Soldiers and their families of the benefits of improving sleep behavior, increasing daily activities, and improving nutrition. All three of these directly impact mental and physical performance and overall health. This paper will be focused on the importance of sleep and sleep behaviors and how sleep deprivation can affect operations.

In addition, police officer exposed to high levels of stress relate to their job have been at an increased risk for adverse health problems, including depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder, (Grant & Terry, 2012).

As crime coexists with humanity, the presence of the police force ensures the suppression of crime and the safety for our society. Every occupation has its own work stress. What is unique is all the different stress found in one job. Aside from the heroic services police officers perform in their duty, they experience overwhelming stress in their daily duty. Police stress refers to the negative pressures related to police work (Police Stress, n.d.). In order to maintain peace and order, there must be an effective police force up and running. For that to happen, departments need to be aware and deal with the negative effects caused by police stress. Whereas, police officers must conquer their stress in order to work at their

The effects of long work hours, resulting in insufficient sleep have been well documented (Rogers, 2008). Insufficient sleep alone has been noted to cause cognitive problems, mood alterations, reduced job performance, reduced motivation, increased safety risks, and physiological changes (Rogers, 2008). Failure to obtain a sufficient amount of sleep is even an important contributor to medical errors (Rogers, 2008). Now think of the effects of sleep, and add in stressful work environments, short-staffing, pressure from administration, and unexpected events, we can begin to realize how patient outcomes may be greatly compromised.

Absolutely, sleep deprivation is a hazard that affects personnel in law enforcement and military. Other factors, contribute to the hazard, which cause a person to be less productive (J.S, 2001). Sleep deprivation is a leading cause of stress. Although many people react and process stress differently, it affects the overall health of many. Change in scenery, for example a deployment to an unfamiliar place can cause uncertainties, which cause stress. Stress built from being in an uncertain place, such as in a combat zone will cause sleep deprivation.

Shift work which requires extreme time commitment outside normal working hours places great strain on the mentality of workers, specifically those working in careers relating to health or emergency services. This report will discuss whether shift work has a negative impact on the mentality of police officers specifically by investigating what shift work is, the difference between good and bad mental health, the effect shift work has on the mental health of employees and to prevent or treat these effects.