Army Guidance and Direction on Sleeping

Sleep In Operations (SIO)

This message provides guidance on managing sleep to sustain performance in the operational environment.

1. Sleep sustains performance, and performance is critical to successful outcome across the full spectrum of operations. Less than adequate sleep will degrade operational performance and can lead to errors, accidents, and friendly fire incidents; it contributes to the fog of war.
2. Seven to eight hours of sleep in each 24 hours will sustain performance indefinitely. Sleep does not need to be taken all at one time, but can be divided into 2 or more sleep periods (including naps) as long as the total sleep in 24 hours is 7 hours or greater.
3. Naps add to recuperative sleep time. A nap boosts both immediate and longer term performance, with the benefits of even a short nap evident for up to 2 days after the nap.
4. Performance will be degraded with less than 7 hours of sleep in every 24 hours. If 4-7 hours of sleep are obtained within every 24-hour period, performance will stabilize at a lower level. With less than 4 hours of sleep in every 24 hours, performance will degrade continuously and rapidly over days with no stabilization.
5. To the extent possible, sleep in a quiet, undisturbed environment away from other activity and protected from "Wake Up and Wait" intrusions. Sleep taken in a noisy, active environment with frequent awakenings is less restorative.
6. When working on limited or no sleep, caffeine in doses of 200 to 300 milligrams (the equivalent of 2-3 cups of coffee) every 3-4 hours will improve performance.
7. For sleep -- like fuel, ammunition, food, and water -- timely resupply is necessary to sustain operational performance. It is a command responsibility to ensure adequate restorative sleep for all personnel.
8. The key to sustaining operational performance is adequate sleep. Take every opportunity to sleep. Start napping early on in the operation, and nap often during the operation. "Nap early, nap often."

Source: Department of the Army, Washington, D.C.