School of Public Health, San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Dr., San Diego, CA 92115, USA; Institute for Behavioral and Community Health, San Diego, CA, USA.
Center for Circadian Biology, University of California, La Jolla, San Diego, CA, USA; Leidos, Inc., Reston, VA, USA; Naval Health Research Center, San Diego, CA, USA.
Sleep Health. 2022 Oct;8(5):542-550. doi: 10.1016/j.sleh.2022.05.010. Epub 2022 Jul 21.
Military service poses unique threats to sleep and circadian health, and the shipboard environment presents further challenges. Disrupted sleep and circadian rhythms are linked to myriad health and safety issues that compromise readiness, including negative psychological health outcomes. Thus, one advantage of mitigating sleep problems includes the possibility of also enhancing mental health.
We evaluated the efficacy of the Circadian, Light, and Sleep Skills program for shipboard military personnel for improving sleep, and examined the impact of sleep on mental health in participating sailors. Questionnaires were administered to US sailors (N = 150) assigned to three ships (one control, two intervention) before the program (T1), immediately afterward (T2), and 2-4 months later, after a period at sea (T3). Outcomes included motivation to improve sleep; sleep and circadian knowledge; frequency of sleep-promoting behaviors; sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index); and mental health symptoms. Satisfaction with specific program elements and perceived relevance were also examined.
Sleep and circadian knowledge, frequency of sleep-promoting behaviors, and sleep quality improved from T1 to T3 in the intervention versus control group. Sleep quality also mediated the effects of the underway (at sea) period on mental health. The intervention was well received, with high satisfaction and perceived relevance ratings.
A brief 30-min intervention before an underway period improved sleep, circadian, and psychological health outcomes in shipboard sailors, even months later. Broader dissemination of this program may provide significant positive impact with minimal investment of resources.
兵役对睡眠和昼夜节律健康构成独特威胁，而船上环境带来了进一步的挑战。睡眠和昼夜节律紊乱与许多健康和安全问题有关，这些问题会影响战备状态，包括负面的心理健康后果。因此，缓解睡眠问题的一个好处可能是提高心理健康。
我们评估了 Circadian, Light, and Sleep Skills 计划对船上军人的睡眠改善效果，并研究了睡眠对参与水手心理健康的影响。在计划实施前（T1）、实施后立即（T2）和出海一段时间后（T3），我们向分配到三艘船上的美国水手（N=150）发放了问卷。结果包括改善睡眠的动机；睡眠和昼夜节律知识；促进睡眠的行为频率；睡眠质量（匹兹堡睡眠质量指数）；以及心理健康症状。还检查了对特定计划要素的满意度和感知相关性。
与对照组相比，干预组的睡眠和昼夜节律知识、促进睡眠的行为频率和睡眠质量从 T1 到 T3 有所提高。睡眠质量也中介了在航（海上）期间对心理健康的影响。该干预措施得到了很好的反馈，满意度和感知相关性评分很高。
在进行海上任务前进行一个简短的 30 分钟干预，可以改善船上水手的睡眠、昼夜节律和心理健康结果，甚至在几个月后也是如此。更广泛地传播这个计划可能会以最小的资源投入带来显著的积极影响。
