Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2013 Aug;144(2):549-557.
doi: 10.1378/chest.13-0088.

Sleep disorders in US military personnel: a high rate of comorbid insomnia and obstructive sleep apnea

Vincent Mysliwiec  1 , Jessica Gill  2 , Hyunhwa Lee  2 , Tristin Baxter  3 , Roslyn Pierce  3 , Taura L Barr  4 , Barry Krakow  5 , Bernard J Roth  3
Affiliations

Sleep disorders in US military personnel: a high rate of comorbid insomnia and obstructive sleep apnea

Vincent Mysliwiec et al. Chest. 2013 Aug.

Abstract

Background: Sleep disturbances are among the most common symptoms of military personnel who return from deployment. The objective of our study was to determine the presence of sleep disorders in US military personnel referred for evaluation of sleep disturbances after deployment and examine associations between sleep disorders and service-related diagnoses of depression, mild traumatic brain injury, pain, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of military personnel with sleep disturbances who returned from combat within 18 months of deployment. Sleep disorders were assessed by clinical evaluation and polysomnogram with validated instruments to diagnose service-related illnesses.

Results: Of 110 military personnel included in our analysis, 97.3% were men (mean age, 33.6 ± 8.0 years; mean BMI, 30.0 ± 4.3 kg/m2), and 70.9% returned from combat within 12 months. Nearly one-half (47.3%) met diagnostic criteria for two or more service-related diagnoses. Sleep disorders were diagnosed in 88.2% of subjects; 11.8% had a normal sleep evaluation and served as control subjects. Overall, 62.7% met diagnostic criteria for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and 63.6% for insomnia. The exclusive diagnoses of insomnia and OSA were present in 25.5% and 24.5% of subjects, respectively; 38.2% had comorbid insomnia and OSA. Military personnel with comorbid insomnia and OSA were significantly more likely to meet criteria for depression (P < .01) and PTSD (P < .01) compared with control subjects and those with OSA only.

Conclusions: Comorbid insomnia and OSA is a frequent diagnosis in military personnel referred for evaluation of sleep disturbances after deployment. This diagnosis, which is difficult to treat, may explain the refractory nature of many service-related diagnoses.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Inclusion criteria for study participants. BIISS = behaviorally induced insufficient sleep syndrome; OSA = obstructive sleep apnea.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Seelig AD, Jacobson IG, Smith B, et al. ; Millennium Cohort Study Team. Sleep patterns before, during, and after deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan. Sleep. 2010;33(12):1615-1622. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center. Insomnia, active component, US Armed Forces, January 2000-December 2009. Medical Surveillance Monthly Report. 2010;17(5):12-15.
    1. Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center. Obstructive sleep apnea, active component, US Armed Forces, January 2000-December 2009. Medical Surveillance Monthly Report. 2010;17(5):8-11.
    1. Peterson AL, Goodie JL, Satterfield WA, Brim WL. Sleep disturbance during military deployment. Mil Med. 2008;173(3):230-235. - PubMed
    1. Luxton DD, Greenburg D, Ryan J, Niven A, Wheeler G, Mysliwiec V. Prevalence and impact of short sleep duration in redeployed OIF soldiers. Sleep. 2011;34(9):1189-1195. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms