Has anyone else on here noticed changes in your sleep pattern after leaving active duty?

2015-03-10T00:52:34-04:00

I struggle to get sleep. When the sun goes down I get tired. Middle part of the night I am back up. Early morning I am back down. This seems to be what I do now. Has anyone else noticed this happening. I did this on deployments and field operations.

Response by CW5 Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 10 at 2015 8:33 PM

2015-03-10T20:33:58-04:00

Very good question, MAJ Private RallyPoint Member. I did have some issues with sleep when I left the military, but they were minor because I left one (military) job and moved directly into another (civilian) job, so my routine of going to bed at a decent hour and getting up relatively early did not change all that much. I'm sure I would have noticed a much greater difference if I had not had that job to "get me up" every morning.

Response by SGT Jim Z. made Mar 10 at 2015 8:36 PM

2015-03-10T20:36:32-04:00

I have noticed a change but then again for many years I was a shift worker and therefore, I really believe my body has not clock anymore. I tend to get 4 hours then I wake up and then if I am lucky I can roll over and get a bit more sleep although during the week it really stinks because if it too close to the alarm clock I just stay up.

Response by SGT(P) Khalid Wise made Mar 10 at 2015 8:48 PM

2015-03-10T20:48:51-04:00

It took almost six years and multiple medications (post TDRL-PDRL 2009) until three months ago to undo two deployments of 16-20 hrs on, 4-8 hrs off in Kuwait-Iraq-Afghanistan (2003-04) and Iraq (2005-06)... I am too thankful to be back up to 6-8 hrs consistently from the 3-5 plus naps after retirement. Entirely normal as some had worse and some had better sleep as I recall at my WTUs in 2007-09

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 11 at 2015 9:55 PM

2015-03-11T21:55:47-04:00