0014 Insufficient sleep is related to poor infantry battle drill performance in special operations Soldiers
Authors: Mantua Janna , Chaudhury Sidhartha , Eldringhoff Hannah , Rouse Codey , Mickelson Carolyn , McKeon Ashlee , Jones Rachell 
Published: May 2022

Introduction

Although multiple studies have documented the impact of insufficient sleep on Soldier performance, most studies have done so using artificial measures of performance (e.g., tablet or simulator tests). The current study sought to test the relationship between sleep and Soldier performance during infantry battle drill training, a more naturalistic measure of performance.

Methods

Fifteen junior special operations infantry Soldiers participated in the study. Soldiers wore Phillips Actiwatch Spectrum and reported their subjective sleep duration and quality during the week prior to Close Quarters Battle (CQB) drills. CQB training emphasizes close quarter combat tactics and requires a diverse range of cognitive skills (e.g., memory, decision-making, scanning). Each team of Soldiers performed six iterations of CQB – three using Ultimate Training Munitions (UTM; non-lethal rounds of munition) and three with live ammunition. Experienced leaders monitored each iteration and recorded errors on scorecards that are regularly used by the unit during CQB trainings.

Results

Participating Soldiers were all male and were 24.3 ± 3.82 years old. Soldiers slept an average of 6.6 hours per night leading up to the exercise and had an average sleep efficiency of 82/100%. The average number of errors committed during the UTM trials was 2.5 ± 1.9, and the average number of errors during the live ammunition trials was 1.1 ± 1.1. The number of errors committed during the live ammunition iterations was negatively correlated with subjective number of hours slept (r = -.67, p = .006) and subjective sleep efficiency/quality (r = -.55, p = .03). A t-test showed those with subjective sleep duration ≥ 7 hours had a significantly lower number of errors than Soldiers with subjective sleep duration &lt; 7 hours (t(14) = 2.26, p = .04).

Conclusion

Enhancing infantry battle drill performance during training may directly translate to greater success in combat scenarios. These data preliminarily suggest that sleep quality and duration may influence subsequent performance on infantry battle drill training, particularly for Soldiers with limited experience in battle drill conduction who have not yet perfected battle drill techniques. Future studies should enact sleep augmentation to determine the causal influence of sleep on performance in this setting.

Support (If Any)

Support for this study came from the Military Operational Medicine Research Program (MOMRP) of the United States Army Medical Research and Development Command (USAMRDC). Material has been reviewed by the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. There is no objection to its presentation and/or publication. The opinions or assertions contained herein are the private views of the authors, and are not to be construed as official, or as reflecting true views of the Department of the Army or the Department of Defense. The investigators have adhered to the policies for protection of human subjects as prescribed in AR 70–25. The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.