Health Reports

Sleep duration, sleep quality and obesity in the Canadian Armed Forces

by Heather Gilmour, Diane Lu and Jane Y. Polsky

Sleep problems are prevalent among military populations, in particular during deployments. Sleep has recently been identified as one of the pillars of physical performance in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), as well as in the U.S. military. While studies regarding sleep have tended to focus on challenges experienced during deployment, sleep is important throughout the military career. It can affect readiness for deployment and quality of life during non-deployment periods and is a risk factor for chronic conditions. Sleep health potentially affects obesity through physiological, hormonal and food-related behavioural changes. For example, short sleep duration or poor sleep quality may result in increased food intake and more opportunities to eat, biological changes in hormones related to hunger and appetite, or decreased physical activity and energy expenditure attributable to lethargy and daytime sleepiness. Obesity, in turn, affects the risk of many chronic conditions, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, some types of cancer, asthma, back pain, osteoarthritis and gallbladder disease. It also increases the risk of injury.