Effects Of Occupational Stress On Sleep Architecture And Nocturnal Autonomic Function In Firefighters And Police Officers

Firefighters and police officers experience high amounts of occupational stress every day that they are on duty. Increased levels of occupational stress have been shown to affect an individual’s sleep architecture and nocturnal autonomic function. This study aimed to observe the difference in these factors in a population of firefighters and police officers during nights they were on duty versus nights they were off duty. A population of firefighters and police officers from the town of Boone Fire Department and the town of Boone Police Department were used as participants for this study. Results illustrated that both sleep architecture and nocturnal autonomic function experienced significant changes when compared with the general population while both on and off duty. It was concluded that the negative impact was due to the high amounts of occupational stress experienced by these two groups.