The time that soldiers in the army go to bed depends on several factors, including their duty schedule, training exercises, and deployments. Generally speaking, there is not a single uniform “bedtime” across all roles and situations in the military. However, there are some common practices and guidelines that shape when soldiers hit the racks. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at army sleep schedules and what determines lights out time for troops.
Typical Duty Day Schedules
Most army bases operate on a standard daily schedule that structures the time for key activities like meals, training, duties, and sleep. A typical day starts early, usually around 5 or 6am with physical training (PT). Breakfast follows PT around 7-8am, and then soldiers report for the day’s duties and training exercises. The duty day wraps up around 4-5pm, with dinner served shortly after. Evening hours may be taken up by additional duties, training, or personal time. Lights out and bedtime is usually scheduled around 9-10pm.
This schedule can vary slightly between different units and bases. Some wakeup times may be as early as 4am or as late as 6:30am. But the overall timing aims to provide soldiers with around 8 hours of sleep per night when not deployed in the field or engaged in intensive training activities.
Field Training and Exercises
When troops are engaged in field training exercises or deployment, the standard base schedule goes out the window. Sleep cycles are dictated by operational requirements and can become highly irregular.
For field training exercises, troops may be required to execute missions or training scenarios overnight. This results in very shortened and disrupted sleep as soldiers catch rest whenever they can between operations. Training schedules aim to condition troops to operate for extended periods with very little sleep.
During deployments, operations are running 24/7 so sleep comes in small bursts. Troops will sleep a few hours when possible, then get up for watch duty or to conduct missions. It’s not uncommon for combat operations to disrupt sleep for days or weeks at a time as missions dictate readiness and activity at all hours.
So in short, bedtime is whenever the opportunity arises during intensive field exercises or combat deployment. The priority becomes accomplishing the mission rather than adhering to a normal sleep schedule.
Standing Duties or Watches
Even during normal duty days on base, some soldiers will have watch or duty responsibilities that disrupt their sleep schedule. These duties require manning posts like gate guard, motor pool security, HQ entrances at night to check identifications, roving patrols, etc.
Soldiers pulling these evening or overnight duties will have adjusted sleep schedules to accommodate. For example, a soldier assigned to overnight gate guard from midnight to 8am will need to sleep during the daytime before starting their shift. Their bedtime becomes late morning or early afternoon.
Some roles like medics also require overnight availability in case of emergencies on base. Soldiers filling jobs like these have bedtimes adjusted according to their on call responsibilities.
Sleeping Quarters by Housing Type
The type of housing soldiers are assigned can also impact lights out times and sleep environment. Here are some of the differences based on housing:
Barracks
Enlisted soldiers in the pay grades E1-E4 are often housed in barracks style dorms on base. In these, soldiers share a large open bay sleeping area with multiple bunk beds per room. Lights out time is enforced in barracks, usually starting around 9pm. However, with many people in a communal sleeping space, it can remain noisy and disruptive to actual sleep.
On Base Family Housing
Higher ranking soldiers may receive on base family housing, like apartments or duplex homes. These soldiers can manage their own bedtimes in accordance with duty schedules and training. Family housing offers more privacy and quiet for uninterrupted sleep.
Off Base Housing
Some soldiers reside in housing off base in surrounding civilian communities. This also allows for flexible management of sleep schedules to match duties and training timing. Commute time to and from base is an additional factor to consider for soldiers living off base.
Lights Out by Soldier Rank
Since duties, housing, and operations vary by rank, soldier seniority also impacts bedtime and sleep regulation. Here are some key differences:
Junior Enlisted (E1-E4)
– Most regimented sleep schedules since housing is usually in barracks
– Subject to enforced lights out times around 9-10pm
– Communal barracks mean continued disruptions to sleep after lights out
Senior Enlisted (E5-E9)
– Increased flexibility around sleep schedules and location
– Can better tailor bedtimes to duties, but still subject to sleep disruptions in field
– May have on base family housing or live off base
Officers
– Most flexible sleep arrangements fitting their leadership role and duties
– Typically greater privacy in officer designated on base housing
– Rank allows more discretion around bedtimes in garrison
So in general, senior soldiers have more leeway over their sleep routines than junior personnel. However, combat readiness remains the priority over sleep for all ranks when training intensively or deployed. Circumstances dictate bedtimes more than rank in those situations.
Effects of Sleep Deprivation
The highly variable and disrupted sleep patterns inherent to military service often lead to sleep deprivation. Switching between day and night schedules, getting only a few hours rest between missions, and high operational tempo all impair sleep consistency and quality.
Insufficient sleep carries numerous consequences:
– Impaired cognitive function and decision making abilities
– Decreased mental alertness and focus
– Compromised immune system and increased illness risk
– Physical performance declines like slowed reactions
– Increased risk for accidents and injuries
– Heightened mental health issues including anxiety and depression
Military efficiency and safety depend on healthy, well-rested troops. Thus sleep management remains an important focus. Some techniques used to improve soldiers’ sleep include:
– Providing sleeping pills and supplements where appropriate
– Using blackout curtains in sleeping quarters to block light
– Limiting caffeine consumption in the evenings
– Maintaining cool temperatures optimal for sleeping
– Sticking to routines as much as possible around sleep timing
– Ensuring comfortable sleeping surfaces like cots or mattresses
Getting adequate, high-quality rest remains challenging under arduous training and combat conditions. But both individual soldiers and their commanders take sleep optimization seriously to maintain peak performance. When possible, military sleep patterns aim to balance operational readiness with mitigating the effects of sleep deprivation.
Sleeping Arrangements by Military Branch
Sleep routines also differ somewhat between the different military branches based on their operations and environments:
Army
– Barracks or tents common in field with shared sleeping spaces
– Cots or sleep pads are typical portable sleeping setup during deployments
– Early wake ups like 5am common for physical training
– Disrupted sleep schedules are frequent
Navy
– Sleep quarters on ships range from shared bunks to private staterooms
– Watch duties critical for those at sea, requiring rotating sleep shifts
– On shore duty, more regular schedules with evening bedtimes
– Submarine crews experience extended disruptions when underwater
Air Force
– Deployments involve adapting to different time zones, impacting circadian rhythms
– On base, more private sleeping quarters compared to other branches
– Pilots require extra sleep accommodation for alertness during flight missions
Marines
– Austerity of sleeping arrangements – toward cots, tents, or ground sleeping
– Emphasis on adapting to challenging environments like deserts or jungles
– Frequent disruptions to establish combat readiness and resilience
So bedtime and sleep patterns tend to be lighter and more adjustable for the mobile service branches like Army, Marines, and Navy – while Air Force affords more sleeping amenities when on base. But all branches prioritize operational readiness over comfort.
Story of a Soldier’s Sleep Experience
To provide insight into what sleep is like across training, deployment, and active combat, here is an example sleep experience described by a soldier:
During initial entry training, I was in open bay barracks with dozens of bunks together and lights out enforced at 10pm. With so many people it was always noisy with chatter and disruptions – I rarely got more than 4 solid hours each night. Once assigned to my unit, I had a private room but often pulled night duties like gate guard about once a week. For those I’d have to sleep odd hours in the middle of the day to get rest before starting my shift at midnight.
In the field during large training exercises, there was no regular sleep schedule. We’d catch naps and sleep in trucks, tents, or open ground when not running ops and drills throughout the day and night. Maybe we’d sleep 2-4 hours when a lull came up in the action. This would go on for days or weeks during the exercise period.
When deployed to Iraq, there was no normal routine at all. I’d go 2-3 days sometimes with no sleep when engaged in missions. Then I might get 6 hours if back on base waiting for orders. I learned to sleep anywhere – leaning against a wall, lying prone on the ground, even standing up if I had to. But the mental strain and fatigue were intense with such limited rest. This was true for all the soldiers. Getting sufficient sleep was just not possible with so much time engaged in operations and combat patrols. You pushed through and relied on adrenaline to overcome exhaustion when you had to. Coffee and energy drinks were essential too.
So being in the army meant learning to operate under sleep deprivation as the norm rather than the exception. You get used to it out of necessity. But it definitely takes a toll long-term, both physically and mentally. Sleep comfort or regularity is a luxury not often afforded in military service.
Conclusion
In summary, bedtimes in the army depend greatly on a soldier’s current assignment, rank, operational tempo, and type of housing. Normal base schedules aim for lights out around 9-10pm to allow for 8 hours sleep. But intensive field training and deployments throw any regular sleep routine out the window. Rest becomes catch as can in short bursts when duties allow. This irregularity and deprivation of sleep poses risks soldiers must manage through conditioning and resilience. While the demands of military service will always impose limitations, both individuals and leadership still recognize the importance of sleep for health and performance. So bedtime for soldiers remains a flexible concept tailored to meeting mission needs above all else.