I am being told to go to PT by the command on only 4-5 hours of sleep. As a junior enlisted, how do I solve this problem?

Are you unable to manage your time effectively so that you can get the rest you feel you need? Was this a surprise PT session on a regular day off? If not, did you talk to your NCO?

I cannot really sympathize with the 5 hours of sleep time for most of my time in 5 hours would be amazing. On shore duty though, I usually got a pretty good sleep time and on shore duty I was never on swing shift, like on a deployment, which seemed to be consistently swinging shift. Anyhow, I would bring it up to your immediate swing chain, officer in charge, to ask that maybe an alternate pt time could be an hour prior to shift or immediately after shift. This should not be unreasonable. Now not sure what an Army deployment time schedule is like, but mine was very hectic and sleep was always desired. We, in engineering, did an 8-hr workday plus two 4 hour watches. ON the bad days your two watches did not coincide with the workday, which resulted in 4 hours of sleep and not always in succession. On the good days at least one of the watches was during the workday, allowing for longer downtime. Now this did not take into effect GQ's or other drills (usually held during normal working hours) so if one was night shift, those sucked even more. Needless to say, sleeping in the military is considered more of a benefit than a right. Its not always right or good, but you have to take the good and the bad.

Thats part of the job, and theres reasoning, because when you have to pull 24hr duty or guard you have to be ready for anything especially while deployed

I too worked that shift in the Navy. We had the same schedule for PT. Unfortunately that is part of the process and will probably not change. We made it work and it was hard but made us better and even showed up on our evals.

The only way to solve this is to suck it up. There will be times where you'll have no sleep and be expected to ruck up and move on. Four to five hours of sleep feels like a God send really. I don't know why this wasn't hammered home in basic training, but someone failed you.

The military isn't some cookie cutter job. It's exactly as it sounds, it's the military. I don't know why everyone thinks it's nothing but rainbows and blowjobs.

For starters, what are the circumstances that are leading you to only get 4-5 hours of sleep? Assuming PT formation is at 0600, are you getting off duty at 2400-0100? if that is the case, then you need to ask your immediate supervisor to work with you on arranging alternate PT times. If you're coming in at midnight from the club, or a second job, or seeing your girl etc., then your lack of sleep is a you problem, and not an Army problem.

So, if your sleep cycle is being regularly interrupted due to late duty and early PT, you are well within your rights to request that your chain of command give you accommodations. if your sleep cycle is being interrupted by your personal off-duty choices, then no, be a grown-up and get yourself into bed at a decent hour.

Easy.. do what they say and when it comes to push-up time, do some and then down for the count.. z-z-z-z-z.

You go to PT. That's what you do. In basic training (1989) at the Benning School for Wayward Boys, we were told that by regulation, they only had to give us FOUR hours of sleep a night. And for the first two weeks, that's all we got!

I learned real quick, thanks to basic training, deployments, and duty rosters to sleep when I could. As I remember the wisdom of Drill Sergeant Boone's words, "in a combat zone, you don't get downtime to get comfy in your bunk!"

In the case of the OP, it sounds like she is caught between the unit's command and the first-line supervisor. It's a tough place to be in, for sure. Does your first sergeant have an "open door" policy for you to utilize? Does your first-line supervisor have an open door policy, also? There's nothing wrong (when a respectful tone is used) of asking your first-line supervisor for clarification. If the new company policy is written down, find a copy of that.

At the end of the day, they need to put this in a policy or SOP. Once they do, use the open door and encourage them to choose reasonable times through providing a solution to the problem you, as i imagine others also see it. If they refuse to assist in making necessary changes, go to the next level of your command and explain your efforts. If that dont work, IG.

Have you ever considered selling shoes for a living? Something along those lines? Anything but being a soldier?

If you don't have to be on duty until 1600, then go back to bed after PT.

Suck it up Butter cup. Do you think our enemies care how much sleep you've had? They will kill you tired or well rested and never look back.

Yeah, grow a pair and follow orders. Sounds like a lawful one to me. I'm with SFC Michael D. on this.

Ok I work in a hospital with some fine soldiers, they run PT at 1930 hours after getting off day shift. These women and men are out there after having a second wind. Also you get lunch take those 30 mins and shut your eyes.

Now that I said that, I will say this. When i was in and we were in alert I let my people know they got 4 hours of sleep: if you choices to waste your time driving home or what ever you’re doing that’s on you.

I will ask you this since you’re working in a hospital what floor are you working? ICU Surgery which? Are you working a clinic? I worked trauma the whole time I was in, in the field and in the hospital.

My last question is this. You are In the military right? If you go overseas deployed what are you going to do?

This is where a conversation with your supervisor needs to take place and it goes up the chain. SNCO and Officers etc etc. A compromise may be found somewhere there in the middle. It may require your section to PT before or after your shift schedule but this is all something that can be hashed out in a conversation.

I can say that a question like this shows that the individual is in a civilian mindset. From a personal level, I have gone to PT after being a CQ all night. You train to be prepared for combat and deprivations like sleep are part of the equation. If you want to always have everything then you shouldn't have joined the military.

Byron Skinner. This the Army, nobody sen you a draft notice, you are part of the US Army which has no time clocks. Nor does the enemy.

With this thread being almost 7 months old. I would like to know what the out come was.

Oh my! As a veteran, I now work as a nurse, I’m LUCKY to get 4-5 hours of sleep before getting up to do it all over again. Prioritize to do what you need to do, and remember, it won’t last forever.

good for party, good for work . came off duty 5 hrs ago ? back on duty when the call comes . on the front line, will you go back up if you had only 5 hrs of sleep ? methinks so . tuck it in, grab your balls and swallow it .