You Deserve Sleep:
The Gear You Can’t Afford to Leave Behind
I’ve said it myself more times than I can count: “I’ll sleep when I’m dead.”
Usually it came out as a joke — a way to laugh off how tired I was, or to make it sound like being exhausted was just part of the job. But there’s nothing funny about running on empty.
For first responders, sleep is often the first thing we sacrifice. Long shifts. Broken nights. Calls that pull you straight out of deep sleep. And still, we show up. Still, we push through.
But here’s the truth:
Sleep isn’t optional. It’s operational.
Sleep Is Gear, Not a Luxury
Think about your turnout gear or vest — you’d never walk into danger without it. Sleep belongs in that same category. It’s what resets the brain, clears stress, and recharges focus. Without it, your reaction time slows, your judgment fogs, and your body stays stuck in fight-or-flight.
Studies show that after 20 hours awake, you function like someone with a blood alcohol content of 0.08% — legally drunk (Dawson & Reid, 1997)【12†source】. And most people don’t realize how impaired they are when sleep-deprived (Van Dongen et al., 2003).
Would you trust a partner on scene if they were legally intoxicated? Would you trust yourself?
The Stories We Inherit: First Responder Sleep Myths
Every responder knows the lines:
“I only need five hours.”
“I’ll catch up this weekend.”
“Real operators don’t need rest.”
We say them with pride, pass them along like tradition. But science tells a different story.
"Five hours is enough"? Over time, the brain slows just as if you’d stayed awake for two straight days (Van Dongen et al., 2003).
"I’ll catch up on the weekend"? Weekend recovery sleep helps with fatigue but doesn’t undo the toll on metabolism, reaction time, or emotion regulation (Depner et al., 2019).
"Rest is weakness"? Muscles grow between workouts; minds rebuild between shifts. Resilience requires recovery.
"If I sleep, I’ll miss something"? In fact, sleep-deprived responders are twice as likely to crash, commit safety errors, or fall asleep behind the wheel (Rajaratnam et al., 2011; Patterson et al., 2012).
These aren’t harmless ideas. They shape how we work, lead, and quietly burn out.
Why Sleep Deprivation Hits First Responders Harder
Our schedules aren’t built for sleep. 24-hour tours. Night shifts. Tones at 3:17 a.m. It disrupts our circadian rhythm and leads to well-documented health risks:
Firefighters: 37–49% screen positive for a sleep disorder (Barger et al., 2015)Police Officers: 40% report clinical sleep problems (Rajaratnam et al., 2011)EMS: 55–62% report poor sleep quality (Patterson et al., 2010)
The downstream effects?More crashes and near-missesHigher rates of depression, anxiety, and burnoutIncreased likelihood of errors on shift
This isn’t about individual failure. It’s about physiology clashing with the reality of the job.What Improves When First Responders Get More Sleep
Here’s the good news: the body knows how to bounce back.
Departments that prioritized sleep saw:
46% fewer crashes
24% fewer disability days
Fewer injuries and emotional fatigue (Barger et al., 2015)
Responders who got more than six hours of quality sleep consistently showed:
Better judgment and decision-making
Stronger immune systems (Cohen et al., 2009)
Lower blood pressure and inflammation
Reduced depressive symptoms and emotional reactivity (Bernert et al., 2014)
One more thing we don’t talk about enough:
Deep sleep helps the brain process trauma.
It doesn’t erase the hard calls. But it gives the brain space to heal.
Leadership Sets the Tone for Sleep Culture
If you’re a chief or officer, you shape what’s seen as normal. When leaders treat rest like protective gear, crews listen.
Research shows that supportive leadership around sleep leads to:
Higher morale and retention
Fewer mistakes on shift
Reduced risk of burnout
You don’t have to solve everything. But you can choose not to glorify exhaustion.
And if you’re behind the wheel, in the bay, or on the floor: your rest matters too. Not because you're on your own. But because your life matters.
You’re not more valuable exhausted. You’re valuable because you’re human.
What You Can Start Tonight
Anchor your wake time. Pick one time. Stick with it, even on days off.Get sunlight within 30 minutes of waking. It resets your circadian clock.Cut caffeine after 2 p.m. It sticks around longer than you think.Nap smart. Twenty-minute naps improve alertness without grogginess.Get screened. Sleep apnea, insomnia, and shift-work disorder are treatable.
Sleep is the foundation for mental clarity, emotional regulation, and resilience. You don’t have to earn it. You just have to protect it.A Word on Families and Crews
Sometimes the first shift happens in conversation.
Let your partner know you’re cutting caffeine. Tell your kids why you’re turning in early. Let your crew know you’re working on getting better rest.
The people who love you want you around. And when they understand the why, they’ll usually support the how.
If no one else tells you this today:
You’re doing enough.
Rest is allowed.
Next in this series: Breathing techniques that regulate your nervous system after long shifts and hard calls.
📚 Sources & Research
Dawson D, Reid K. (1997). Fatigue, alcohol and performance impairment. Nature.
Van Dongen HPA, et al. (2003). The cumulative cost of additional wakefulness. Sleep.
Barger LK, et al. (2015). Sleep disorders, health, and safety in firefighters. J Clin Sleep Med.
Rajaratnam SMW, et al. (2011). Sleep disorders and safety in police officers. JAMA.
Patterson PD, et al. (2010). Sleep quality and fatigue among EMS providers. Prehosp Emerg Care.
Depner CM, et al. (2019). Adverse metabolic consequences of weekend recovery sleep. Curr Biol.
Cohen S, et al. (2009). Sleep habits and susceptibility to the common cold. Arch Intern Med.
Bernert RA, et al. (2014). Sleep disturbances and suicide risk. JAMA Psychiatry.