Skip main navigation

Military Health System

Clear Your Cache

Health.mil has undergone a recent update. For the best user experience we recommend clearing your browser cache.

‘Tactical Napping’ and Other Tips to Sleep Well On Deployment

Image of A trainee attempts to get a little sleep as he waits for transportation at the Joe E. Mann Ballroom Dec. 18. He is one of thousands of Initial Entry Training Soldiers across the Army who are headed home on leave for the holidays. . A trainee attempts to get a little sleep as he waits for transportation at the Joe E. Mann Ballroom Dec. 18. He is one of thousands of Initial Entry Training Soldiers across the Army who are headed home on leave for the holidays. (Robert Timmons)

Getting enough sleep is always essential for optimal performance and functioning.

But service members know that a full night's sleep is not always an option. On deployment, many things make sleep a challenge, including combat operations, long work days or 24-hour watch duty.

Service members on deployment may be anxious, concerned about their own safety or missing home. And they may face uncomfortable sleeping surfaces and unusual sleep-wake cycles.

"Sleep is an inherently vulnerable state, and in operational environments there are many factors that can make it difficult to initiate or maintain sleep," said Army Lt. Col. (Dr.) Scott Williams, director of the Center for Military Psychiatry and Neuroscience (CMPN) at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Prior traumatic events or mild traumatic brain injury can also lead to additional sleeping problems.

As a result, getting proper sleep is a luxury that many service members may not always have.

"On average, military personnel sleep approximately six hours" a day, said Dr. Tom Balkin, a senior scientist at the CMPN's Behavioral Biology Branch.

An average of six hours of sleep isn't enough – at least seven hours is recommended, Williams said.

Running short on sleep could lead to poor health or poor performance. Sleep disorders can be "significant threats to readiness and lethality," according to the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research's Behavioral Biology site.

Prioritizing sleep during deployments is key to better performance, and, in the long run, a healthier military experience.

Tactical Naps

When long blocks of sleep are impractical, "the practice of tactical napping" can help reach the recommended seven hours of sleep per 24 hours, said Dr. Sara Alger, a sleep research scientist at the Behavioral Biology Branch's Sleep Research Center.

"A tactical nap is ideally in a space that is dark, quiet, and comfortable, but realistically anywhere that is safe."

These naps can also be used to get extra sleep before upcoming sleep loss, to increase alertness during major operations, and to help recover more quickly after sleep loss, said Alger.

And though napping may lead to initial grogginess when you wake up, she said, using the combination of naps and caffeine strategically can reduce that.

If you're having trouble sleeping or want to learn more, check out these resources, contact your health care provider, or fill out this sleep health assessment.

You also may be interested in...

Policy
Sep 11, 2015

Instruction: #DODI 6490.13, Comprehensive Policy on Traumatic Brain Injury-Related Neurocognitive Assessments by the Military Services

This instruction establishes policy, assigns responsibilities, and prescribes standard elements, pursuant to section 722 of Public Law 111-383, requiring the implementation of a comprehensive neurocognitive assessment policy in the military services.

  • Identification #: DODI 6490.13
  • Type: Instruction
Policy
Oct 31, 2014

Memorandum: Pre-Deployment, Deployment, and Post-Deployment Training, Screening, and Monitoring Guidance for Department of Defense Personnel Deployed to Ebola Outbreak Areas

.PDF | 8.96 MB

Department of Defense personnel (Service members and civilian employees)deployed to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defined Ebola outbreak areas will complete pre and post-deployment screening and training requirements outlined in this memorandum and supplemented by United States Africa Command (USAFRICOM) guidance.

  • Identification #: N/A
  • Type: Memorandum
Policy
Oct 20, 2014

Memorandum: #13-006, Addendum to Guidance on the Establishment of Department of Defense Standardization for Ordering and Procurement of Hearing Devices Prostheses 13-006

.PDF | 94.68 KB

This memorandum clarifies procedures relating to Health Affairs' "Guidance on the Establishment of Department of Defense Standardization for Ordering and Procurement of Hearing Devices/Prosthesis," dated August 15, 2013, which remains in effect.

  • Identification #: 13-006
  • Type: Memorandum
Policy
Apr 28, 2014

Instruction: #DODI 1010.10, Health Promotion and Disease Prevention

This instruction reissues DOD Directive 1010.10 (Reference (a)) as a DOD instruction (DoDI) in accordance with the authority in DODD 5124.02 (Reference (b)) to establish policy and assign responsibilities for health promotion and disease prevention in accordance with References (c) through (f).

  • Identification #: DODI 1010.10
  • Type: Instruction
Policy
Sep 18, 2012

Instruction: #DODI 6490.11, DOD Policy Guidance for Management of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury/Concussion in the Deployed Setting

This instruction establishes policy, assigns responsibilities, and provides procedures on the management of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), also known as concussion, in the deployed setting.

  • Identification #: DODI 6490.11
  • Type: Instruction
Policy
Apr 20, 2012

Memorandum: Guideline for Tuberculosis Screening and Testing

.PDF | 119.55 KB

Because accessions come from widely diverse geographic backgrounds, the Services should determine the need for tuberculin skin tests for accessions while Service members are at the training base, based on the needs of the specific accessions environment and operational mission requirements. DOD will implement targeted testing rather than universal ...

  • Identification #: N/A
  • Type: Memorandum
Skip subpage navigation
Refine your search
Last Updated: February 25, 2025
Follow us on Instagram Follow us on LinkedIn Follow us on Facebook Follow us on X Follow us on YouTube Subscribe to updates from the MHS