Military Service Often Involves Sleep Deprivation and Shared Living Conditions

Some view military service as comparable to other occupations, but it often requires living, eating and sleeping in close quarters with coworkers. Soldiers share bunks in barracks or tents, where snoring and sleep talking are common. Sleep becomes a limited resource during training and operations.

Trent Reedy, who served as a combat engineer in the Iowa Army National Guard from 1999 to 2005, recalled nights spent in shared racks with dozens of other men. During one overnight guard shift in Afghanistan, his squad worked through the following day and then stood guard again the next night.

The three exhausted soldiers walked in shifts to stay awake, with their conversation turning into nonsense as fatigue set in. Reedy said he became so tired that he hallucinated seeing a plate of spaghetti on the guard post and asked his companions who had brought food.

They did not understand the question. From basic training onward, the Army requires soldiers to serve one-hour fire guard shifts overnight to watch for danger or perform chores. The final soldier on fire guard wakes the leadership to start the day. Most prefer the first or last shift to minimize lost sleep.

Reedy described waking a fellow trainee named Rogers by shaking him violently and shouting during one basic training shift as a prank, causing Rogers to wake in a panic. Reedy also recounted struggling to wake his friend Jake Pries for fire guard duty.

After shaking Pries's boot and foot without success in a dark tent, Reedy eventually got him to sit up, confused about his location and responsibilities. The effort cost Reedy about 15 minutes of his own sleep time. Service members learn to sleep whenever possible, whether under a poncho, on supply piles or sitting in the rain.

Reedy stated that because of their service and sacrifice, civilians can sleep more safely at night.

The fire guard system serves as both security measure and alarm clock in the field. Each soldier hopes to draw an early or late shift. Those assigned middle hours often struggle to return to sleep after being relieved. Reedy's account illustrates how sleep deprivation affects performance and leads to unusual behaviors among troops.

His tour included duty in Afghanistan, where continuous operations reduced opportunities for rest.