Friday, November 7, 2014

Chronic Insomnia Is A Continuing Problem For U.S. Soldiers Who Have Served In War Zones

An infrared light illuminates U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Bobby M. Scharton, a platoon sergeant with 17th Fires Brigade, 7th Infantry Division, during a sleep study at Madigan Army Medical Center, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., Nov. 22, 2013. Physicians use data from the studies to diagnose severe sleep disorders like sleep apnea and insomnia. U.S. Army

Soldiers Lost A Lot Of Sleep In Iraq, Afghanistan -- Stars and Stripes/San Antonio Express-News

SAN ANTONIO (MCT) — A new medical study has determined that the Army had the highest rate of chronic insomnia among the armed services over a long decade of war.

The study showed a sharp increase among men and women as the U.S. fought in Iraq and Afghanistan from 2005 to 2013 and found those veterans were more likely to have high blood pressure and Type 2 diabetes.

“Insomnia is a common complaint in active-duty service members,” the authors of the study wrote in a report issued by the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center. “Of those returning from deployment in Iraq and Afghanistan, 41 percent reported problems sleeping.”

Read more ....

My Comment: I suspect that for most (if not all) U.S. soldiers who have served on the front lines .... this is a huge problem, and the impact on health is long lasting and probably very damaging.

No comments: