How Hard is Military SLEEP Deprivation?

One of the worse aspects of military training is sleep deprivation... that ever present fatigue, associated with a pressure in the head and the nonstop inclination to feel sorry for yourself. Military Sleep Deprivation is a lot like rucking. You can get better at it through direct and indirect training. Let’s discuss sleep deprivation during military training and operations with a focus on
Expectations
Developing a Tolerance to Sleep Deprivation
Tips for Mitigating the effects of Sleep Deprivation
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[@MetalAriel]

Most people outside the military don‘t understand how severe this can get. It is a whole other level to perform complex and physically demanding tasks, when going on minimum to no sleep. It is also different from being sleep deprived at home or at your job, where nobody would scream and depend on you

[@joeswoops6684]

They physical work isn't the worst though. The worst is endless guard duty. 15-20 hour shifts, 6-20 days in a row, only 1 day off. Repest this for months with no end in site.

[@Anomaly-uz9pr]

Nighttime convoy with multiple site jumps after not sleeping for 48 hours during a battalion mission readiness exercise last year oh yes or our deployment doing 24 hours on 24 hours off for a year oh yes oh yes

[@SpaceRanger187]

not just training..18hrs a day no days off for 3 years.

[@theweditor3612]

From my experience, its easier for me to stay awake doing something with my body like PT as compared to sitting around or standing still watching something. Doing a task and focusing on getting that task done can help, as long as the task isnt to guard a door for 8 hours after 2 days of no sleep.

[@MrOiram46]

commuting in a personal vehicle while sleep deprived is very dangerous too, it can be equivalent of driving while intoxicated

[@hk.l4886]

As a young dude, I thought getting no sleep and bragging about it made me hardcore. It made me retarded af. Sleep is for the strong boys!

[@alangwhiteTheBoss]

Yea honestly I’d rather not eat 2 days than not sleep for a day

[@FunGamingContent]

OIY you better eat for a good nights rest and hydrate never neglect your body. Your body is more important to take care of. One mistake with your diet can be the end and you will need to start over again. If you fast don't do it for and under a physicians note. The risk of not eating and hydrating goes up medically if you keep ignoring your body. I recommend to look at diet, nutrition programs to get better with sleep. Try different methods of going to sleep Try box, triangle, breathing, binaural music. Find your frequency

[@Reticulosis]

Lol yea, that, not going to sick call, and doing PT while being injured. I wore that shit like a badge of honor… now I wish I hadn’t done that crap. 😂 well it’s part of it I guess

[@alangwhiteTheBoss]

@@FunGamingContent honestly sometimes I felt like my body needed a break from the MRE. I would not go with out water tho

[@elindigeno1215]

Sleep is for the weak!

[@brandcannon]

The cardiovascular effects of sleep deprivation are very impactful. I once heard a story of a soldier that came back from a three day mission and didn’t sleep. As soon as he laid down, his heart stopped beating and he died.

[@xXSgtWolfXx]

Sounds like bullshit, you can survive on 3 days with no sleep

[@maximos905]

Dying from exhaustion is more common than some think

[@FormerGovernmentHuman]

I’ve definitely had days where when I finally made it to something to sleep on, everything stopped. My lungs were done for, my heart was done for, for some reason my kidneys hurt, I thought my body shut down for good and I honestly embraced it. Then I woke up the next day and spent another 48 hours wandering Afghanistan looking for inbreds. Why do I miss it again???

[@victuz]

@@FormerGovernmentHuman You must be a masochist if you miss that happening in your life. One thing is getting yelled at and training physically to get sharp and resilient... Another is not sleeping for days and thinking that is good for you, or any living being for the matter. That is just asking for chronic health problems.

[@snkywz]

@@victuz He couldn't sleep because he was on patrol, dude. After days passed he could finally sleep, although it wasn't a really good sleep, next day he had to patrol again, that's why he missed the sleep he had, even though it wasn't good. He didn't do that because he wanted to, but that was the only time he could sleep. Please fix your interpretation.

[@alpeter3787]

Sleep dep has been proven to be the second worst cause of testosterone inhibition, the first being concussion trauma. Tbi and ptsd were considered to be the cause of degenerative neurological damage, but recently we have seen evidence that low testosterone is a major contributor to psychological degeneration and suicide in combat veterans. Sleep deprivation is being observed to cause major damage to the endocrine system, including prolonged cortisol exposure which also attacks the endocrine system, regardless of blunt or concussive trauma. Some of the most interesting research on the subject was the Russian sleep deprivation experiment. Obviously, soldiers must be tough and adaptable, but in the future, sleep schedules should be taken seriously by military leadership in order to preserve the operational effectiveness and psychological stability of its fighting force.

[@gainzhurt3-6-9]

I was wondering when someone was gonna bring this up! Thank you

[@Uglyminesword]

Sleep schedules are one of the first things that are taught when learning to lead in small unit tactics. It seems to me that the issue lies in the slow change and the chaotic adaptation of sleep considerations by the military as a whole.

[@whiteprivilege7961]

The Russian sleep experiment was a creepypasta lol

[@michaell1438]

I believed you until you said they did a study beneficial to our troops 🤣

[@GSG-io8zp]

I feel like this why I didn’t fully develop during puberty, I was sleeping probably 3 hours a night on average from 13-17

[@someguy5035]

I did 22 years. You just deal with it. Of course, you stack the deck in your favor with proper eating, fitness, and hydration, but in the end, it is psychological. Your body will keep going if you just keep telling it to.

[@mrphoenix5951]

and now i struggle to do a proper night sleep because i get up for the most little thing and can't sleep

[@someguy5035]

@@mrphoenix5951 Same. Certain types noises register as an instant wake up in my brain despite the noises not being important or threatening in any way.

[@alangwhiteTheBoss]

No it’s not. It’s rëtärded when it’s not necessary. For some reason senior leaders make this a thing when missions don’t require it.

[@mrphoenix5951]

@@alangwhiteTheBoss WRONG i'ts needed to prepare soldier for when it happens

[@someguy5035]

@@alangwhiteTheBoss "Senior leaders" aren't the ones making shift schedules. Section Sergeants, PSGs, Staff section OICs, the XO, etc. That is who is making manning rosters. Tell us about your military experience because it sounds like you don't have much.

[@ghostsniperable353]

The lack of sleep affects the body and mind. Doing this for a while, like years can cause problems. Physical damage like back and knees, errors at work, no mental strength to handle stress and bs, and increases suicide. The military needs to address this during non training and combat days.

[@yosefgoldberg541]

There is no way to address the weight issue, in combat you carry at least 40kg usually more and the only way to do so is by carrying loads and it's cause the knees and back problems. For you to understand only the rifle, ammo, ceramic vest and helmet weight around 20kg

[@deluxezesty]

I’ve been sleep deprived my whole life. It sucks

[@slappy8941]

The military only cares about breaking you, and everything else is irrelevant.

[@rickd8174]

You learn to sleep every where and when ever you can. You learn to sleep standing up. Comfort is no option either. It just really sucks when digging a fighting hole.

[@rockstarJDP]

Ive got a couple, do not underestimate how important it is to keep hydrated! I can't say exactly for why, but whenever I've done back to back nights on ward with maybe 3 hours kip in between, I need twice as much water as I would when well rested. It helps avoid the headaches too. Another tip, eat little and often, heavy foods will upset your stomach. Lastly, watch out for the shadow men, they're not real but they can shred your nerves when your eyes start playing tricks, especially in a hospital and I imagine tenfold in the field! 😅

[@ChrisinOSMS]

Working mid-watch on a bridge of a ship the shadow men are red and green lights dancing on the water. Definitely had to check the radar to distinguish what I was seeing and reality. Freaked me out the first time it happened. Port/Starboard watches are tough.

[@rockstarJDP]

@@ChrisinOSMS man I can imagine that threw you for a loop, pitch black at sea with only the ships lights for company 😳

[@Spudmuffinz]

@@rockstarJDP pitch black is no joke lol. On a moonless cloudy night at sea on a fully darkened ship, it's darkness you can feel. I think it's the vastness of it that did it for me, like if your in a cave or below decks and the lights go out it's pitch black but you can sence things around you like you know there's walls and your familiar with it, but top side in complete darkness and all you hear is the wind and raging water around you there's no grasping your surroundings, it's terrifying and awesome I kinda miss it

[@rockstarJDP]

@@Spudmuffinz Yeah that must be so spooky! I imagine no other experience could make you feel smaller as a human than being out in the middle of the ocean in the dark. Were the hallucinations more from sleep deprivation or sensory deprivation?

[@treadway.]

The human body can go up to 11 days before it naturally flops out . If somehow you get no sleep over 11 days, your body starts to die and your heart is prone to an attack.

[@_DMNO_]

I'd like to know why, but I've never seen a good explanation. It seems weird that you can't just eat the right things, drink water, or even supplements to prevent total organ failure. Crazy shit man.

[@ericwang565]

@@_DMNO_ Sleep is your body undergoing its maintenance cycle. Your brain and organs are getting cleaned of toxic metabolic byproducts, so if those build up your body is in deep trouble. If you aren't sleeping, you are depriving the body vital time to clean out its waste. Studies have shown that lack of sleep drastically increases the risk of neurodegenerative diseases later in life due to a buildup of toxic proteins in the brain and spinal cord. Other abnormalities applies to organs like the liver and kidneys, which are heavily affected by sleep (or lack thereof) especially in regards to their role in disposing of the body's waste.

[@MadsenTheDane]

@@ericwang565 I wonder if it would be possible to make a drug that simulates the bodies sleep cycle while youre still awake to prolong how long a human can be up

[@Bennahr_Fett]

@@MadsenTheDane Central nervous system stimulant? Or maybe a psychomotor stimulant.

[@josephdonald1961]

I've actually fallen asleep standing up with eyes open and could see myself falling to the ground but caught my balance before I hit, scary. Also sleeping while driving with eyes open watching myself drifting into a concrete barrier, two wheels climbing up the barrier then driving a bit down the freeway on two wheels then landing back on all four. No damage to the car amazingly.

[@smokeypuppy417]

You don't just deal with it. Eventually you fall asleep. Was a 19k tanker in the army. Had me drive for the XO/CO for gunnery during day/ night and awoken by the 1SG to help pick up chow at 0545 for multiple days in a row, you can expect the CO to yell into his mic after a sitting still after 15+ minutes. You don't mess with your drivers sleeping time. The first 3 days in the field/ gunnery your not expected to sleep more then a few hours a day but eventually if you want your driver to be at his best during a table 6 gunnery, you need to get some rest beforehand. I have been know to fall asleep with the tank running and having to yelled at to the point of having the tank turret turned so the turret crew can access the drivers postion. I have also been so sleep deprived, I fell asleep, came out of a dream where I believed the TC was telling me to go forward just to screamed at repeatedly too stop and questioned later what the hell i was doing, sleep delervation even after having already completed multiple field exercises.

[@B22_2-87IN]

One of the important things about sleep dep that training prepares you for is the potential hallucinations and lapse in judgement. Things like little fuzzy dots doing circles, shadows in your peripherals, misjudging the dips and raises on the ground while walking, and hand eye coordination failure. It humbles you when you can barely qual with your perfectly zeroed weapon after days of no sleep when you're not even getting shot at because everything is moving around on you.

[@simongloutnez589]

never really experienced hallucinations but never did military training, but I've experienced the bad judgement real hard while sleep deprived... the numbness, it is humbling indeed.

[@_DMNO_]

The craziest shit I've had with no sleep is a voice talking in my head. A British woman of all things lol. I knew it wasn't real because I knew I had already been up a couple days, but its some freaky shit when you're all of a sudden hearing some nice lady talking to you out of nowhere.

[@dickridenhour]

Not till third deployment 101st infantry did I see a pink rabbit in the dessert looking at me on guard in a village at night. I felt braindead unable to form sentences. Even developed dyslexia. Mixing up letters. They ran us into the ground but we did it.

[@Frostyknight627]

The hallucinations are one thing, but the lapses in judgement are killers.

[@So...WhatsTranscendental]

During sleep, the body detoxifies the blood through the lungs, deep breathing, breathing rhythm affecting the brain waves; flushes the brain from toxins during REM; equalize the PH; the liver start filtering on "high" capacity mode, the kidneys start "soaking" the blood; the gut start working on metabolize the content; but there's a key substance that makes you feel tired, painful, mind foged, "head sored" and like your blood is "acid" or "burning", and thats the so-called: AMMONIA... basically a water soluble, gas like subtance, that's "abrasive" like acetone... HIGHLY NEUROTOXIC, that is flushed by the liver, the kidneys (converting it in urea, when they're working properly and hasn't kidney or liver damage or malfunction), the skin through the sweating process that could be considered "a sort of osmosis" of the blood stream and as last resource, through the lungs as a sort of "exhaust" by the exhaling or "vaporization" step in the breathing, specially efficiently when the lung walls are well hydrated... You can notice such process specially in a fell asleep drunk person loudly snoring and deeply breathing... The cerebellum is working "full resource" on detoxifying... High ammonia build up, causes a metabolism, central nervous system and neuronal malfunction, called >ENCEPHALOPATY< .

[@palestallion_tm]

As a kid I grew up dreading my household.. Even though school started around 9 or 8, I had to get up around 6 because my sister needed time to get ready and had to be at school by 7. Ultimately when I got to high school I had to start waking up around the same time and I guess it sucked to suck. I can't remember most of my senior year because most of the time I would show up ridiculously late, or just cut school period to go back home and crash. Years later whether it was a job, or a responsibility, I been sleep deprived for years, so once I joined the military it kinda came as an expectation; it can be a real inconvenience at times but not much to be disappointed about.

[@Nate-on7wq]

Could you not go to bed at 10pm?

[@ginger0208]

In South Africa, all our police units have sleep deprivation as a test, ranging from 2 days (less advanced units) to 7 days straight of no sleep (Special Task Force). All this while rucking over 60km in a night with 50kg of gear. From what I've heard from the guys that have done it is that they eventually didn't even realise they were tired anymore, they just kept pushing forward. Apparently the first few days are the worst but as your body realises it isng getting sleep it just deals with it and keeps on going. I guess I'll see if it's the same for me when I get there.

[@hunter66630]

whenever you have as little as 10 minutes of ''free time'' get your feet elevated, and nap for 6-8 minutes. - Jocko Willink

[@ayumalani5631]

Explains a lot why SAPS is always asleep at emergencies.🤣

[@ginger0208]

@@ayumalani5631 Haha, are you not a funny guy😐 if you don't know what you are talking about it's best you stay quite.

[@ayumalani5631]

@@ginger0208 jokes aside, that is quite a feat. Have you heard of the Koevoet on rocky Casspirs up in SWA?

[@ginger0208]

@@ayumalani5631 Koevoet yes, up on Rocky Caspirs no.

[@Uglyminesword]

While deployed as an Executive Officer I realized how much I could slog through sleep deprivation. While I'd done plenty of more physical and aggressive sleep deprivation training in TRADOC, that deployment was where I realized how much I could actually push through myself. Given that the role is far more mentally focused than physically focused it really helped me to realize how much what I was learning in TRADOC wasn't only how to push through things but how to slow down, assess, and adjust for a situation's conditions especially when sleep deprived.

[@gabewilson8222]

I remember the effects of sleep deprivation vividly. When I was going through marine combat training at soi-east we consistently were getting 3-5 hours of sleep a night. 6 on good nights, as little as 2 on bad nights. Getting few hours for a couple of nights isnt too bad, you can push through no problem. But when its night after night of little sleep, you quickly loose motivation and unit moral drops significantly. We were catching 5 minutes naps whenever we could, just to get caught sleeping and all punished for it. Some guys couldnt handle the mental tole and broke down multiple times. The thing that always got me through was focusing on the future, not the now. Knowing that the day (or days) will eventually end, and youll get to go to sleep. Even if it isnt for long, you will sleep eventually.

[@fonzie2098]

The thing about sleep deprivation is that when you're a gunner or driver in combat you are hyper focused on things that even an 8 hour shift of that is enough to drain you. I remember falling asleep on the gun after a little over 24 hours in Iraq and I tell you there was no physical way to stay awake. Another gun crew fell asleep and had a grenade thrown at them and then it became apparent to the dismounts that we needed sleep. This was in 2006.

[@natebardwell]

My time in the Marine Corps took it over the top and the conditioning of forcing myself to stay awake or only cat nap really took a toll on me. Sleep means death, and I keep telling my body that hasn't been true for over ten years but my body refuses to listen.

[@seekingcodemastery3813]

My sleep cycle is sometimes chaotic at best. Sometimes it's 4 hours other times it's 7 hours, yet other times it's 5 hours. So I kind of get what he is saying. I know about the tiredness after not sleeping for 7-8 hours on a consistent basis. But this video good to hear gave me some good tips. To the channel owner: Thank you for these tips and advice it is much appreciated.

[@optimusprime4443]

My construction job we would work 50 to 70 hours 5 to 6 days a week, and I can say that sleep deprivation is no joke. The headaches, migraine, tiredness you name it, is just a horrible experience. I left that job almost 2 months after working there for a year, I'm so glad I'm out of there.

[@stevelowery1841]

As a PJ in Vietnam I had my share of sleep deprivation. Long range patrols, sleeping in rice patties, rescues in the South China Sea and much more. After 3yrs of doing that almost daily I got used to little sleep. But I didn't like it. I put things into perspective, pressed on and did my job. It was fun...and it sucked.

[@geekstradamus1548]

Welcome home.

[@jeffe7622]

i really like how you put your own experience into the video, it for real makes the video so much more fun to watch. It's like a small story in every video, love it man!

[@user-ud2bm5pm7v]

"It's a bit extreme and not for everyone" Sounds like an opportunity to become tough. Love your content, sir

[@kzsposeidon3121]

Working to join the SF community too and currently working leo shifts, so much of this is true

[@bettiebundy]

My time in the navy while on watch I learned to pinch the inside of your arm near the arm pit and push in and if all possible a quick 5 to 10 m minute power nap makes all the difference.

[@TheBruces56]

As a cop I used to have eight week runs where I worked a different shift every day. Normal sleep is impossible and the lack of it built up.

[@EnricoBressi]

So well done. Thank you.

[@southeast78]

I truly have a newfound respect for our military. Awesome channel 👊🏾❤️

[@sgtjarhead99]

This was the toughest for me while I was still active duty. After 2-3 days, I would literally hallucinate. Some guys handled it better, but I wasn't ashamed to say I was not one of them.

[@rjeption]

awesome video!!! this reminded me a lot of my marine corps training. brought back so many memories! thank you!

[@WindHaze10]

This is indeed one of the biggest negative of military training (raining/muddy weather is worse). My biggest experience of it was when training around old plane landing strips we artillery men were changing position many times during day, evening and night. While going to new location I was in MAN truck cupola position with MG3 and I fell asleep standing up. The sudden movement of falling woke me up millisecond later and got back up. Team leader looked up and wondered what happened up there :)

[@TheGoonSquadd]

Just stumbled upon this channel. Had to sub cuz this video is sick. Interested to see the rest of your content.

[@danielwitt7419]

Dude this is what makes navy bootcamp hard af. You get there motivated as fuck, and then they keep you up all night and don’t let you sleep till the next night, it breaks you down so quick.

[@13thravenpurple94]

Great work Thank you

[@GoNavyAT2]

My humble opinion, sleep deprivation in an operational setting is akin to playing hurt. Admirable yet foolish. You become more of a liability then an asset in a sleep deprived status. Learning sleep deprivation in a training scenario, and understanding the effects it has on judgement, mental acuity, and overall physiology is critical to recognizing the effect when a team is deployed forward and a no-fail outcome is required.

[@matheusfrota95]

Great, great video, Sir ! Thanks for the content. Well put, solid and smart information. Great observations and descriptions about sleep deprivation. Ive always delt with some type of sleep deprivation due to the fact I'm a night owl and during some time in my life, I was having a regular routine. Later on I started doing security work, and I got 36hours shift one time. I mean, it sucked a lil bit, but I handled. I didn't have to deal with people nor anything like that, and I had caffeine. But the description you made about the voices and feeling sorry for yourself, man... On point ! I imagine how tough it may be in the military, but I thibk the fact of being always moving and doing work mitigate a lil bit ! Plus the sense of pride and honor as well. Another point I felt as well : Everytime I was sleep depravated I started ruminating a lot and when I was training without sleep, my perception of effort and pain were way more intense. Congrats on your courage talking to your Sargent like that ! I think the military would benefit from a more intelligent approach! Still hard, but intelligent, like your example. The ability to take naps is awesome ! Much respect to all good people in the military embracing the suck ! It takes guts and courage. Training smart, eating well, hydration and good rest whenever possible makes enduring some sleep deprivation easier, and better recovery as well.

[@corbynquick]

Very accurate assessment. Hats off on the thoroughness of explanation for daywalkers to understand the difficulty associated with managing this. I wish I could explain to this level of detail what happens when an entire military unit’s culture is built on this and the psychological ramifications of who joins that world in the first place and who succeeds in it. IDK, Submarines are just a different reality… see, I can’t explain it like you can. Nice video. Thank you for making it.

[@JohnSmith-nc9ep]

Sir, your videos make my day. Thank you!

[@grimm2085]

Great video, great channel, thank you for sharing your knowledge, God Bless All ❤️

[@LondonThingYouKnow]

I am a student and never thought about joining the military. But after seeing this Video i wanna improve my life and also be able to sleep anywhere anytime and stop my sugar addiction. I think i can learn a lot from the military which will improve my life. Thank you for your Videos.

[@adlikfasadlikfas9531]

When I did my military training I thought that restriction to lay in bed in daytime was just another way to earn a platoon some push ups and train discipline, but as it seems now it was very well thought plan on how to get quality sleep. I am hardcore sleeper, sometimes 9h is not enough for me, but I always wondered why even 4h in military seemed perfectly fine. Thank you for enlightment :)

[@jelob6783]

I suffered from bad sleep dep even since middle school. It does not get easier, I just had to learn how to function while half insane 😭. Even still I don’t know how you soldiers get through it! Respect.

[@NaterTaterOutdoors]

I used to work at two different hospitals just a few months ago. I would purposely work Sunday night into Monday night sometimes the 26 hours straight but almost always 24 hours straight. I did that for 5 years straight Sunday into Monday night for the whole work week it was 60-70 a week. What I learned from that is you can increase your potential with activities and using sleep deprivation as a skill to accomplish what you want to accomplish when you’re sleep deprived. This was a slow progression but it can be done. Always push forward. I’m down to one job now that pays very well but I’m using my skills to be an asset to myself and cover shifts when people call in. The overtime pays well when you are a contractor.

[@brycefelperin]

When I was twenty I worked like three to four jobs a week. One of them was a graveyard shift at a 7-Eleven for three nights a week, while working during the days after those shifts. I got it to a schedule where I would not sleep for forty-eight hours, then have one day off to sleep up to eleven, then start it all over again. Did it for a year, then went back to college.

[@user-pt9uq5dz3s]

I agree with you on this matter and i can relate to you by that on my second night in training in the idf we started sleeping with rucksucks as pilows and only a very thin sponge matress and i remember waking up at night at least 10 times just from the cold and during each night we had 7 hours of sleep and 45 minutes of guard duty and I dont know why when i woke up for guard duty i woke up with some sense of proud that kept me going through training.

[@tacticaltrioadventure5224]

Thanks I will take the advice

[@jamescarter7955]

I dig your videos and really appreciate the info I use it to train my s.o.r.t. team it really helps

[@jamesturpin9091]

The malaria medicine on deployment kept me from sleeping. By day 5 i was hillucinating and had blank spots in my memory. I've had bad experiences but by far nothing comes close to sleep deprivation. When you can't trust your own brain a special kind of fear sets in.

[@eichler721]

I have a wife, kids and work nights on 12 hour shifts so this is common practice during the summer when the kids don't have school. Also pulled many 36 and 38 hour missions on deployment and to many in training to count. Yet the second I am not actively engaged my body is conditioned now and I go right to sleep to maximize what I can get. 5 hours makes you feel 100% after 24hrs of no sleep when conditioned correctly but not healthy to do over long periods.

[@cool_ef8638]

I'm about to go to basic August 22nd of this year. Honestly your videos and talks about Rangers/Green Berets is what I aspire to be. I can't wait to start soon and take on these challenges.

[@TonyC2328]

Had a moment on deployment in the Navy where for 2 months straight on the ocean I was working 18 hours a day. My LPO (basically supervisor) always got upset when he caught me taking a 10 minute nap. So one day I absolutely freaked out on him and he took me into the office to discuss things. He never wrote me up though, so I'm pretty sure he knew he was in the wrong lol

[@gladteer873]

This is helping me get through my degree

[@BeingFireRetardant]

That was a great fcuking video... Spoke to my soul. And yes, it was worth the expletive.

[@hunterthornton9609]

As a kid I used to do it accidentally when my cousins would come over, we’d stay up all day and night for 2 days straight sometimes gaming. When I got to basic and stayed up for almost 2, it was a walk in the park (relatively speaking) when compared to the other recruits

[@johndougherty9602]

When I was training as a Cav Scout we called it black phase.Everyone had black tape wrapped around their ear plug case to indicate this phase.

[@cartelbrickz]

The only time we really had sleep deprivation was when I was in the field. I got more sleep In Afghanistan than the field

[@bobbuilder767]

I did this as "civilian" kind of. I'm preparing to apply for the French Foreign legion. I know that psychologically I'm ready to be honest, but physically, not a chance at all

[@Si-mc6dl]

A lot of most military training is about developing mental and emotional toughness. I remember having to move a CP with my team every 6 hours for 2 weeks straight in tactical conditions. Had to take orders via data and voice comms, disect, digest, understand and brief with those orders. Assign tasks and make a nav plan. Make a CP plan before arriving at the new location based on local intelligence. Move, set up again, get into routine, then before you know it, it's broken with another order to move. We were absolutely ragged towards the end. I don't know how people get through courses like special forces selection and training, they just seem to do what needs to be done but must have some amazing personal fortitude and resolve.

[@user-wu6qb2xl1c]

Wait, I’ve been accidentally training for this at like, 8

[@vviimmi]

since

[@itsasecret2298]

To those who think this isn't a big deal, that's what I thought. Try doing it while pushing your body to it's limits every single day. It's not even comparable. I'm not SF, but my line of work has similar demands.

[@simongloutnez589]

I had a physical demanding job when I started college and at that time I had the worst sleeping schedule ever (no schedule). Not sleeping and go out to do hard work during summer heat is probably when I had the worst decision making ever. It is super demanding.

[@SenorGato237]

Training for adverse sleeping key. Those 10 minute power naps are a lifesaver.

[@raymonddonahue7282]

On a CG in the Persian Gulf we got very little sleep. I was there on four deployments. What was especially noteworthy was going on WEC/MEC watch at 3:45AM watching that radar sweep go round and round and trying to stay awake.

[@SmokeBlastt]

From my time in the infantry I’ve taught my body how to fall asleep while my mind stays awake. So any short halt or other non mission environments where we have a couple minutes of free time then I shut my body off but still am fully aware of everything around me. As soon as we start moving I’m up and ready before the people that were already awake

[@intergalacticchicano]

Before the invasion of Iraq, my unit spent a week trying to figure out how to get our vehicles over there. Needless to say i went that week with about 8 hours of sleep and it wasn't continuous. 1 hour here 25 minutes there, 10 mins yonder. I was starting to hallucinate purple dinosaurs and pink elephants.

[@FakeAmerican]

I'm sorry but that's hilarious.

[@intergalacticchicano]

@@FakeAmerican it is now, it wasn't back then.

[@FakeAmerican]

@@intergalacticchicano usually how stories go.

[@Willppyro]

@@intergalacticchicano better than seeing shadow people and hearing voices call your name lol. Sleep deprivation gets scary especially if you are alone

[@intergalacticchicano]

@@Willppyro it's ironic that the VA gave me some antidepressants pills and now i have sleep paralysis.

[@davidaylsworth8964]

As an amateur astrophotographer I’m accustomed to sleep deprivation. My military experience gave me my first taste of sleep deprivation and my professional career in IT anchored my coping strategies. Through my military experience I learned how to sleep anywhere, any time. Even now, as a senior I’m able to cycle my sleep pattern to accommodate long nights with a telescope. Life experience has taught me that even when you’re enjoying those long nights with the night sky there is still a major suck-factor that kicks in around night 3 or 4. Headache, loss of concentration and irritability are symptoms I notice. Luckily, as a retired guy I have the luxury of time on my side, but as these symptoms present themselves I use my experiences to rationalise the need for sleep. There have been clear nights spent with my head on the pillow recovering from a multi-night binge. I’ve shared my best tips with my daughter who is a charge nurse in a busy hospital environment. Sleep when you can, eat when you can, avoid sugar and caffeine, and stay hydrated. Always keep in mind why you’re up through the night and why it holds meaning for you. Thanks for this video. I’ll be sharing it with friends who are still enduring sleepless nights, for a purpose or cause greater than themselves.

[@SethAKPI]

The ability to fall asleep in crap conditions whenever I want is great. One of the greatest things I appreciate about my military experience.

[@mickthurston9883]

42 minutes is the critical Time for a power nap. I'm too much of a fossil to ever take the Queens shilling (now king).Well done sir highly informative posts Mick Thurston London

[@alexalbrecht5768]

Continuous lack of sleep greatly inhibits the combat effectiveness of units and is often used as a strategy to weaken an enemy force. The night before the final battle of the battleship Bismarck Royal Navy destroyers harassed the ship all night long to wear down the crew. By the time the Royal Navy battleships moved in to initiate the final battle the crew of the Bismarck was exhausted and unable to properly carry out their duties.

[@FormerGovernmentHuman]

The good thing about sleep deprivation, is you have so many little micro sleep sessions you almost forget how miserable you are and where the fuck you are. I remember on cole range being happy to get 45 minutes of sleep and thinking the cadre has blessed me this day. The true horror for me, being at cole range in january, was the fucking cold. Smoking us was a blessing, instead they had us jump in the pond by the entrance (if you’ve been you know exactly which one) and stand in formation all night. Dude were collapsing left and right with the sound of ice shattering from their uniforms. Cadre would sneak around the woodline and come stand next to you and stare you down, but you were so deprived you were hallucinating so you never knew if the man standing beside you breathing down your neck was real or not, and they knew it. I uhhh, I don’t want to talk about Ranger school. I also had the pleasure of going there in the winter. Why couldn’t I have just been a cold cat.

[@CoffeeFiend1]

I remember between 5-6 days being so tired that I was unable to process written information. I could understand letters and very small words but I could no longer read stuff consecutively and join or make connections between preceding and proceeding words, I'd have to stare at text for minutes. It is true that you effectively become a zombie devoid of any meaningful higher cognitive function. You can keep people up for a week yeah but past 3 days they're honestly walking hazards.

[@unknownsource1013]

for me the one of the fun and hard part about military training is waking up earliy at 3:30 AM and with no less than 1 minute we have to immediately ware our athletic uniform in just 10 counts and head straight to PT ground and perform the morning exercises. i was half asleep whil doin those exercises and the hard part was to actually stay awake during those early morning times and realizing that, the morning was just a fraction of what we will do for the rest of the day. the taps or sleep time is 10pm but most of the time some unfortunate recruits like me, we will get pull out while sleeping and just punish us for no reason and they saying that what their doing is to make us strong and immune to torture, they would let us sleep 30 minutes before 3:30 am.

[@jacobam2007]

Instructors used to tell us to drink water to not fall asleep in the classroom. Surprisingly effective for a minute or two at a time. I chose bad habits like tobacco and abnormal amounts of caffeine in the field.

[@sethwright3295]

Funny story related to sleep. I started ROTC this past semester and was beyond busy with school, working out, and commitments to the program. I would get 4-6 hours of sleep for the week, and crash hard on weekends and get rejuvenated for the next week. Our battalion did a field training exercise and we end up having to sleep outside in our sleeping bags for four days in a row with about two nights in the rain, but they gave us 6-8 hours of sleep each night. Everybody else was tired and drained by day three meanwhile that was the best sleep I had gotten all semester😁. I’ve dialed in my schedule better to now get 6-8 hours every night, but I find it funny that the best sleep I got in five months was outside in the rain lol

[@IDontEvenOwnA9mm]

I was 11B / 11C ... most I went was 3 days and few hours.. I was hearing things that weren't actually there... guys were falling asleep standing up. . It was an experience

[@roydavies4287]

I did 4 days without sleep on an australian army training course. We spent a lot of the time patrolling. By day 3 I thought I might not make it through, but then we finally got ambushed and had to break contact putting down a bunch of rounds. Then we patrolled back to FOB on a high, stumbled across the enemy party laying in wait for a different call sign, so we got to roll them up. Was pretty fun and I didnt feel like I needed sleep anymore. The next day I got a couple of hours unbroken sleep and I was good to go til the end of the course (it was only a week long). I still dont wanna do it again lol.

[@SurfingBullDog]

In Ranger School, I woke up early one morning cuddling a bush well outside the patrol base. No recollection of how I got there or when. There were pieces of chewed up paper in my mouth. I can only surmise that I attempted to eat pages out of my notebook while severely sleep deprived and starving. Thankfully I was not found by an RI since the sun had not risen yet. I was able to sneak back into the patrol base and no one was the wiser.

[@austinwilliams4238]

At my base stateside we are permanent nights, with a deployment ops tempo, I stay up about 28 hours straight once a week on my "Friday Night" to get a normal life on my "Weekends"

[@eschus2057]

I had problems falling asleep prior to joining. After joining I can knock out anytime anywhere. I sleep like a baby

[@justnothing8692]

When i dont get enough sleep and have a headache i found out that good work out fixes it for the rest of the day i feel more energetic then if i had slept

[@theduke7539]

not a service member, but I worked swing shift as a security guard in college, it wasnt uncommon to work a 12 hour night shift, and then be given 24 hours off so i can work a 12 hour day shift at a different sight, and then back again, despite the hours, playing with your secadian rythem like that really plays hell on your physical and mental health and it stays with you long after youve stopped doing it. its been years since i left that job and I still find holding a stable sleep schedule an arduous task at the best of times

[@GreatWhite7]

A woman in the USA ran a 200 mile race and stopped twice for sleep. Once she had 20 minutes and the second time she slept for 1 minute. She won the race in around 50 hours. I stayed up for 40 hours once. The first 24 hours I was driving across Australia.

[@Noredlac_]

On the plus side I learned how to sleep whenever wherever, and sometimes standing

[@WRDN_Ursine]

I'm a line cook currently, and getting 4hrs or sleep a night then back to working 15hrs straight

[@hooligansworld519]

TRADOC disctates that soldiers atleast get 6 hours of sleep. Only 6, but your drill Sergeants wont hesitate to only give you six hours, and they wont hesitate to wake up up 3 hours into sleeping for a smoke session, and let you sleep for another 3 hours only to be greeted by a first formation smoking. On the field that changes.

[@skinemax]

Florida phase at ranger school was the worst I've ever been sleep deprived. My God, our brains just straight up stopped working. I remember laying down with a SAW on an ambush just peering through my PVS14s at the kill zone. I swear I watched a WW2 style jeep stop in our kill zone, then morph into a transformer. I remember on another particularly long night movement, we had guys simply walk off because they were falling asleep while they were rucking. I remember hallucinating and thinking that I saw a whole bunch of teepee style tents with A/C units attached to them. That stuff sucked but the absolute worst thing about that course was the absolute bone-chilling cold. Class 03-09.

[@goooser410]

Ranger school helped me throughout my life. Marathons, Ironman and other Ultra runs.

[@vipertheleo]

Listening to this while on a night time guard duty

[@gabe_diaz]

4 years marines, 16 years army. That’s my goal, I’m enlisting in march when I turn 18 🇺🇸

[@akamecup8455]

As someone who’s gone without sleep for 80 hours in the military, all I can say is hallucinations

[@Chevelle602]

Its terrible. Its painful. I used to feel electric jolts throughout my body when I was extremely sleep deprived. I was driving a gun truck and after an 18 hour mission I almost crashed into a hesco barrier on base. I simply just blacked out. There is nothing more difficult than trying to stay awake with the hummm of the gun truck engines while looking through NVGs

[@stevedavenport1202]

Yeah, I remember the sleep deprivation from basic training...good times.

[@wadeboothe4397]

I think this what makes shit the hardest. I could physically do most anything any school could ask if I was rested. You start seeing shit that aint there. You fall asleep while walking, its hell.

[@therandomgamer61]

first like 24-30 hours after what time you would normally go to sleep at are the hardest, I find after that point I actually start to get wide awake again even if I'm not in the field. I don't know why but just knowing if i can make it past that point I will not feel as tired helps me personally.

[@BanTheCrookedBlueLine]

Ranger school is basically a leadership course where you don't sleep. When I went through, one of our marsoc guys won the William O. Darby award. The army instructor who handed it out did not look excited to give it to a Marine, but my buddy looked so excited it wasn't funny 🤣

[@notinteresting1495]

Went through Cole Range, had spend 4 days no sleep doing landnav getting fucked up I could hardly make 2 and 2 put together and simple shit got hard for me

[@TraMa910]

I keep trying to minimize blue screen but you keep uploading videos. I blame you for my unsuccessfulness 😂😂

[@sharkquisha3407]

I remember being in ft benning for 6 month Osut training for Infantry and we were on the Ftx. I remember being in a patrol base and we got blown out and ambused by other platoons and all this other shit. We got no sleep that night and i remember around 4 or 5 am i got back into my ranger grave and just sat there with my rifle next to my battle buddy and I zoned out super hard and next thing i knew it was daytime and i couldnt remember if i slept at all or if i was just zoned out until the sun came up. Time just skipped. It was so trippy. We were out for a week and only got a total of probably 9 or 10 hours stretched across the entire week.

[@snooze9216]

Don’t sprint when you can run Don’t run when you can walk Don’t walk when you can stand Don’t stand when you can sit Don’t sit when you can lay Don’t stay awake when you can sleep

[@burgeremperor4421]

Sleep deprivation makes a lot of difference, while i was on my worst sleep deprivation after a month of sleeping no more then 5hours and for last 2 days of not sleeping at all . I was fallin asleep while marchin, i even think i slept for like 30min while walkin. Constantly having someone in my peripheral vision, even tho i closed the formation and walked 5m from the last guy.

[@matthewmorris6378]

0:44 lol. they told us we only needed 4 hours of sleep a night in the Army. that was the norm unless it was a weekend and we were off duty. I had a training exercises where I got 1.5 - 3 hours nightly. NCO needed to protect his sleep. then we go drive vehicles and hope we don't pass out behind the wheel (happens more often then the Army will admit). staff duty being once a month is a laugh too. it can and often is more frequent, especially if you are trying to be promoted, and includes weekends. 24 hours off is the only "requirement", and shift changeover is after PT, so you will have been awake and on duty for more then 24 hours by the time you are relieved of your shift.

[@Veteransolo]

As an ex soldier myself, Whenever I was on leave, I would just destroy my bed from the hours of sleep, When I woke up, I went straight for my workout about 1 to 2 hours, Then showered, ate, and went out with my homies once in a blue moon in our favourite bar and stayed there for hours drinking, I did all that before 8 p.m where it was my sleep time to get ready for more hell in my army base. That's the life we choose us soldiers, And that was my best decision of my life. I proudly served for 4 years, Now, I'm re enlisting. Time to get back to work.