The Stages of Sleep and You

A few days ago I wrote a blog about being 10-07 meaning take more time when you are off duty for sleeping. Since then, I have talked with my doc. and conducted a little research myself. Since I am aiming my blogs toward police officers and other emergency responders, I usually take information published by real scientist and spin it to fit the daily lives of those responders upon whom we depend for our very lives. Having spent over twenty years riding and instructing police officers (my research was in the area of "Stress Management") I could not help but see how their professions were very unique when compared to most other professions. There are similarities of course, however, when police officers and other emergency responders "hit the streets" they enter into a world that is different than ours. People respond differently to their presence, they personally experience activities that you and I don't even want to think about. Even though I tried to teach my cadets about dealing with this world in a way that helped them reduce their stress, I couldn't really tell them how to avoid repression -- shoving things you don't find acceptable back into your mind and pretending you are not affected by them. When they are busy answering calls and writing reports and serving the public they tend to focus on the job-at-hand and they don't think about many stressful or hurtful things that have gone on all during the shift. The difficult time may come when they go home and try to interact with their loved ones as if everything is O.K. and, probably the most difficult time, is when they try to sleep without thinking about the negative behaviors they encountered that night or that week. Without getting into ways to deal with stress and how to relax so they can sleep, I will talk about that after we all become aware of the necessity of getting enough sleep and what can happen if you don't. I mentioned the importance of "deep sleep" or REM sleep in my last blog. I really only touched the surface and may have even confused those of you who do seem to get by on less than seven hours of sleep each day. If you get a chance, look up the stages of sleep on the Internet. Then, apply each stage to your own situation.
While I was finishing my Master's Degree in Counseling, I was required to interview fifty students in both high school and college and fifty adults and/or their supervisors at work about problems that come about as a direct result of lack of proper sleep. Just about everyone agrees that the people who stay up all night studying for an exam frequently have a difficult time retrieving that which they studied because they are too tired during the test. You are sleepy, irritable, can't focus and are at a greater risk for having an accident or missing work due to illness during the days that follow.
My doc. says that a lack of REM sleep can possibly do brain damage since the deep sleep time is when your brain repairs itself. How many of you snore all night and have been diagnosed with Sleep Apnea? I have and now wear a mask (similar to an O2 mask during the night that alerts my body to breath when I stop (80-95 times a night) breathing for a couple of seconds. If I were to list the stages of sleep, I would probably give you the same list that many scientist publish. In fact, underline this list in your red pen and lets apply these stages to your life as a police officer.
Stage 1 -- Drowsiness
Stage 2 -- Light Sleep
Stage 3/4 -- Deep Sleep & REM Sleep
The next time we meet I will review my observations of police officers and how sleep or the lack of it can impact their jobs, their personal lives and their health. If you have any stories to share or any examples to add to my blog please don't hesitate to do so. My Email address is: s.s.glenn157@gmail.com and my phone number is 512-282-3158 or 512-971-1918. Until then stay safe and remember -- WAIT FOR BACKUP!
Mr.G