b'Chronic Insomnia Plagues Active Duty Servicemembers, Affects ReadinessSleep issues continue to torment military personnel, and the DoD is increasingly concerned, because insufficient sleep from chronic insomnia poses a direct threat to military operational readiness. Soldiers in the Army have been most affected. Still, a recent study pointed out that clinical guidelines on treating the issues arent always being followed.By LaTina EmersonWASHINGTON, DCChronic insomnia is a per- andStatisticalManualofMentalDisorders,Fifth sistentissueforactive-dutyservicemembersandEdition (DSM-5) and the International Classification recommendedtreatmentguidelinesarentalwaysof Sleep Disorders, Third Edition. followed to appropriately deal with the problem, ac- Among U.S. adults, 20% to 30% of adults report at cording to a recent study. least one symptom of insomnia, and an estimated 6% Theretrospective cohortstudycalled Incidenceto10%meetdiagnosticcriteriaforchronicinsom-andManagementofChronicInsomnia,Activenia. Studies on military personnel have reported much Component, U.S. Armed Forces, 2012 to 2021 esti- higher prevalence and suggest that insomnia is a grow-mated the incidence of chronic insomnia in activeing health threat to servicemembers. For instance, during componentmilitarymembersfrom2012throughOperation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom 2021. The study, which also assessed the percent- and Operation New Dawn, diagnosis rates of insomnia age of servicemembers receiving VA/DoD Clinicalincreased dramatically in all branches of service. PracticeGuideline-recommendedinsomniatreat- The military is increasingly concerned, because insuf-ments,waspublishedrecentlyinthemilitarysficient sleep from chronic insomnia poses a direct threat Medical Surveillance Monthly Report. 1 to military operational readiness, resulting in impaired The study population included all individuals whodecision-making and reaction time, decreased cogni-served in the active component of the Army, Navy,tive performance, increased musculoskeletal injury and AirForceorMarineCorpsatanytimebetweendecreased anaerobic and endurance performance.January 2012 and December 2021. Researchers fromNearly150,000active-dutyservicememberswere theUniformedServicesUniversityoftheHealthdiagnosed with chronic insomnia between 2012 and Sciences and the Armed Forces Health Surveillance2021, and the annual incidence rate did not change Division gathered data for the study from the Defensemuch throughout the 10-year period, with an overall MedicalSurveillanceSystem(DMSS),whichcon- rate of 116.1 per 10,000 person-years, researchers from tainscomprehensivemedicalencounterandphar- the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Division told macy data for active component servicemembers, asU.S. Medicine. well as self-reported health data from annual PeriodicThe highest annual rate was in 2016 at 134.0 cases Health Assessments (PHAs).per 10,000 person-years, and the lowest annual rate Insomnia, the most common sleep disorder in thewas in 2020 at 99.8 cases per 10,000 person-years. United States, is characterized by a subjective per- The Armys rates of chronic insomnia were consis-ception of difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep,tently the highest among the military services, with dissatisfaction with sleep quantity or quality despitean incidence rate more than twice the rate of any other adequate opportunity and subsequent daytime impair- service each year, peaking at 242.8 cases per 10,000 ment. Chronic insomnia is defined as insomnia symp- person-years in 2016, the study reported.toms that last for at least three months and occur atAbout two years ago, the Pentagon issued a report, least three days per week, according to the DiagnosticStudy on Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Readiness 12'