The Job Never Sleeps, And First Responders Are Paying The Price

For many police officers, firefighters, EMTs, and military personnel serving their communities around the clock, "normal business hours" are at best a luxury and at worst a foreign concept. Emergencies do not have a quitting time and are always working overtime.

Unfortunately, the human body is not built to go 24/7, even though that can be exactly the demand we end up putting on first responders. When your average night is driven by adrenaline and high-stress brain activity, your body might not get the memo when it's time to rest and recover.

Working overnight, rotating between days and nights or simply putting in long hours at irregular times can disrupt the body's natural sleep-wake cycle. Over time, that disruption can affect far more than whether someone feels tired at the end of a shift.

According to research summarized by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, shift work among police officers has been associated with poor sleep, increased stress and depression, higher rates of injuries and sickness absence, changes to immune function and biological indicators associated with cardiovascular disease.

The effects can add up quickly. In research involving Buffalo police officers, poor sleep quality was found to be 70% higher among officers working night shifts and 49% higher among those working afternoon shifts when compared with officers working days. Night-shift officers also experienced substantially higher rates of long-term injury leave.

And sleep is only part of the equation.

A broader review of shift work hazards available through the National Center for Biotechnology Information found associations between shift work and cardiovascular disease, metabolic problems, obesity, type II diabetes and a number of other physical health concerns. Shift workers also experience higher rates of burnout, depression, anxiety, excessive sleepiness and insomnia.

For first responders, those effects can carry consequences beyond simply feeling lousy.

Fatigue can slow reaction time, impair concentration and make it more difficult to make good decisions quickly. That is a problem in any profession. For someone driving an ambulance, responding to a structure fire or making a split-second decision during a police call, it can become a serious safety issue.

The NCBI review also notes that shift workers face an increased risk of occupational accidents and motor vehicle collisions, including during the drive home after an overnight shift.

Making Recovery Part of the Job

For many first responders, eliminating shift work simply is not an option. Someone has to answer the call at 2 a.m.

That makes learning how to recover from those hours all the more important.

Both the CDC and NCBI resources emphasize protecting sleep whenever possible. Maintaining a regular sleep schedule, creating a dark, quiet and cool sleeping environment and limiting disruptions can help the body make the most of the rest it gets.

Exercise and healthy eating can also help manage stress and improve sleep quality. Workers on overnight shifts may want to be particularly conscious of when and what they eat, while caffeine is generally better used during the earlier portion of a shift rather than shortly before trying to sleep.

Strategic naps can provide another tool for combating fatigue, while appropriate light exposure can help workers remain alert during overnight hours and prepare their bodies for rest afterward.

Most importantly, persistent sleep problems, excessive fatigue or other health concerns should not simply be accepted as part of wearing the uniform. The CDC specifically recommends discussing concerns related to shift work with a health professional.

Taking Care of Yourself Off the Clock

Recovery also involves more than sleep. When so much of your professional life is spent taking care of other people, the hours away from work matter. Time with family, exercise, outdoor recreation, hobbies, a comfortable meal or even something as simple as replacing a worn-out pair of shoes can make life outside the job a little easier.

That is part of the idea behind Defenders Gateway.

The free Defenders Gateway app was built specifically for military members, veterans, first responders and their families, connecting members with health and wellness resources, professional services, nonprofit organizations and other forms of support.

It also connects members with local and national discounts that can make those smaller quality-of-life improvements more affordable.

That might mean finding a service that helps address a more serious health or wellness concern. It could also mean saving money on something that helps you exercise, enjoy a weekend outdoors, spend time with your family or simply relax after a long shift.

None of those things can eliminate the physical demands of shift work. But taking recovery seriously, protecting your health and making the most of the hours you do have off can help ensure that when the next shift starts, you are as ready as possible to answer the call.