Sleepless Recruits: The Impact of Chronic Sleep Restriction on Army Recruits in Basic Military Training
- Alastair Hunt
- Apr 5
- 6 min read
Sleep is as essential to human performance as training or nutrition - especially in high-stakes professions like the military. Yet, for new Army recruits, sleep often becomes a scarce commodity. Three recent studies from the UK and Australia shed new light on just how chronic and disruptive sleep restriction can be during basic military training (BMT), and what that means for stress, recovery, and future performance.
Recent UK news headlines on recruits being provided longer sleeping hours have sparked a debate on whether standards are being dropped. And it is a valid question that will liley be debated for years to come. From a health and performance perspective, what are the consequences? Do the benefits of allowing additional sleep outweigh the negatives?
From our home base in Singapore, where National Service is compulsory - how does sleep during BMT compare for our NSFs?
While this article is focused on military issues, many of our readers are not from the military. As ever, please talk to your doctor or medical practitioner most familiar with your medical history before implementing any changes in diet, exercise or lifestyle, especially if you are under treatment. Links to all studies at bottom of page.
Sleep in Basic Training: A Universal Deficit
Across all three studies, the findings are clear: recruits rarely meet the minimum recommended sleep durations, whether in the UK or Australia. The British study observed Junior Soldiers (average age 16), infantry, and non-infantry recruits, all sleeping between 5 hours 41 minutes and 6 hours 22 minutes per night - well below the 7–9 hours recommended for adults and the 8–10 hours for adolescents. The Australian studies echoed this, reporting average sleep durations around 6.3 to 6.4 hours, even in periods without field training.
This isn’t just a one-off inconvenience. The sleep restriction observed is chronic, lasting across the full 12-week BMT programmes. In the Larsen et al. study, 42% of recruits were sleep-restricted (less than 6 hours) for at least two consecutive weeks, and every single participant experienced sub-optimal sleep. That’s a persistent, cumulative sleep debt that most recruits couldn’t pay off during training.
Sleep duration wasn’t the only concern. Sleep fragmentation - frequent awakenings during the night - was alarmingly high during field training phases. Australian recruits showed a sleep fragmentation index of 41%, with wake-after-sleep-onset times exceeding two hours. These levels of broken sleep severely impair the body’s ability to recover physically and consolidate learning.
Sleep Quality: It's Not Just About Hours
Beyond duration, the perception and quality of sleep were equally concerning. In the UK, more than 80% of recruits rated their sleep as "fairly bad" or "very bad", and many reported “dozing off” during the day. Australian studies showed similar issues, with subjective sleep quality identified as the strongest predictor of perceived stress, poor recovery, and both pre- and post-sleep fatigue.
Interestingly, even though recruits often fell asleep quickly (some within 7 minutes, indicating extreme sleep pressure), they also experienced long periods of wakefulness after initially falling asleep—particularly during field training. For instance, British non-infantry recruits had average wake-after-sleep-onset times of up to 62 minutes, suggesting broken and restless sleep.
The Consequences: Stress, Fatigue and Injury Risk
The implications are not just about feeling groggy. All three studies reported consistent links between poor sleep and elevated stress, low recovery, and higher fatigue. The Bulmer et al. study in Australia found that subjective sleep quality alone could predict changes in stress, fatigue, and recovery perceptions throughout training. These psychological stresses, if left unaddressed, can compound into mood disorders, poor academic performance and even higher dropout rates.
Physically, insufficient sleep has been shown to increase the risk of injury and illness. For instance, recruits sleeping under six hours per night were found in previous research to have a three-fold higher risk of respiratory illness, and a significantly increased risk of musculoskeletal injuries. This chronic sleep debt, without adequate recovery time, undermines physical adaptation and learning—two of the core objectives of basic training.
Cognitive effects are just as concerning. Sleep loss impairs decision-making, memory, and attention—key elements in a recruit's success. One study cited in the UK research found that US Army recruits who slept 8 hours scored 11% better on academic tests than those restricted to 6 hours.
Why Recruits Can’t Sleep
So, what's causing all this poor sleep? Across the board, several factors were commonly cited:
Late-night military admin (like boot cleaning or studying)
Early wake times
Noise and light in shared sleeping quarters
Stress, anxiety, and muscle soreness
Hot room temperatures and uncomfortable bedding
Junior Soldiers in the UK, particularly vulnerable due to their adolescent circadian rhythms, were especially affected. Despite a scheduled lights-out at 2200hrs and wake-up at 0600hrs, most were still only sleeping just over 6 hours per night. Adolescents naturally fall asleep later and require more sleep than adults, meaning that early wake times directly clash with their biological needs.
Moving Forward: A Call for Change
All three research teams argue that more must be done to improve sleep conditions in military training environments. Even simple interventions could make a meaningful difference:
Allowing flexible or extended sleep periods after field exercises.
Providing cooler, quieter sleeping environments.
Reducing unnecessary late-night admin.
Educating leadership and recruits about the importance of sleep.
Considering napping protocols and better mattress provision.
And diet matters, learn more about the needs for those undergoing selection.
Especially for adolescents, more biologically-informed scheduling - such as later start times- may be crucial. In fact, these changes might not only reduce stress and improve performance but also decrease attrition and injury rates across training programmes.
What did a senior UK army sergeant major involved in recruit training for the elite Parachute Regiment have to say, we quote direct from the Daily Mail article...
"Warrant Officer Class One Jamie Weaver, a Para and the Regimental Sergeant Major of the 2nd Infantry Training Battalion in Catterick, North Yorkshire, said: 'We all need three things to survive – food, water and sleep.
'So if you are training to survive, you must prepare your body with sleep. Giving recruits so little sleep, then wondering why they aren't learning, is not the right approach.
'Some struggle academically anyway, then we are depriving them of the thing that aids learning. You can't give someone three hours per night then wonder what they are achieving on day three – the answer is not very much."
These are the words of a team leader who safeguards the highest standards of recruit training in the UK military.
Final Thoughts
The message from all three studies is sobering: sleep deprivation is not just a side effect of basic training - it’s a structural problem with significant consequences for recruit health, performance and retention. While the demands of military training are undeniable and there is a strong and passionate argument to keep long-held standards, failing to prioritise sleep may be compromising the very goals BMT sets out to achieve. With strong evidence now in hand, it's time to rethink how military institutions manage sleep - and in doing so, better protect the young men and women who are still learning to protect us.
As always, the best health strategy is one you can stick with - one that fits your personal lifestyle profile. For most people, improving sleep and health is about finding motivation and prioritising self-care - with an ultimate goal of taking action. If you want to take effective and targeted steps that fit into your unique lifestyle and circumstances, The Whole Health Practice is here to help.
Whether your interest is healthspan and longevity, to beat chronic illness or to enhance your mental health and well-being, our consultations and programs deliver results that are tailored to your needs.
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Stay Healthy,
Alastair
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Related Studies
UK: Rawcliffe AJ, Tyson H, Hinde K, Jacka K, Holland R, Chapman S, Roberts AJ. Sleep duration and perceptions of sleep quality in British Army recruits during basic training - an observational analysis. Front Neurol. 2024 Feb 14;15:1321032. doi: 10.3389/fneur.2024.1321032. PMID: 38426172; PMCID: PMC10903264.
US: Larsen P, Drain JR, Gibson N, Sampson J, Michael S, Peoples G, Groeller H. Chronicity of sleep restriction during Army basic military training. J Sci Med Sport. 2022 May;25(5):432-438. doi: 10.1016/j.jsams.2022.01.008. Epub 2022 Feb 4. PMID: 35277344.
Australia: Bulmer S, Aisbett B, Drain JR, Roberts S, Gastin PB, Tait J, Main LC. Sleep of recruits throughout basic military training and its relationships with stress, recovery, and fatigue. Int Arch Occup Environ Health. 2022 Aug;95(6):1331-1342. doi: 10.1007/s00420-022-01845-9. Epub 2022 Feb 28. PMID: 35226165; PMCID: PMC9273528.
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