Lack of sleep and fatigue are major issues in policing and can affect an officer’s physical and mental health, which is why members of the police force are now offered sleep assistance.
Police officers are receiving training on how sleepto help them fight stress.
Lack of sleep and fatigue are major issues in policing and can affect an officer’s physical and mental health. That’s why experts have developed a program to provide police officers with data that gives them an accurate picture of their sleep, fatigue, and recovery rates.
The outline will help them understand why they may feel tired, stressed or anxious. More than 700 officers and staff have taken part so far, and the program has been opened to 27 forces. It comes as figures released by the Police Federation show a record 13,294 UK officers were made redundant between April 2022 and 23 due to stress. depressionanxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): 80% more than a decade ago.
The sleep study was led by Merseyside Police working with Liverpool John Moore University. Some of the participants wear a BioStrap device for 120 days that measures heart rate variability, respiratory rate, sleep time, and sleep type.
Deputy Chief Constable Jenny Sims said: “Working at Merseyside Police is a very rewarding but often challenging role. This study will help us better understand the true impact that these challenges have on our officers and staff and, in turn, allow us to take practical steps to address them. The stress and strains of work, in some cases, affect the quality of sleep of our workforce.
“We know that poor sleep can contribute to physical and mental health problems, so our participation with Oscar Kilo aims to help our agents and staff better manage their sleep and enjoy all the benefits it brings to their lives. both personal and professional.
Dr Carol Cox, Director of the Liverpool Center for Advanced Policing Studies at John Moores University, said: “At a time when officers and staff are facing significant workload and resource pressures and many are experiencing significant health problems, this research is timely and allows us to better understand the quality of life of police officers and staff.”
