“The little hamster is always spinning”: the police do not sleep well

As part of a series of reports on the mental health of police officers, The newspaper spoke with dozens of experts and agents in addition to reviewing several dozen documents, including around forty requests for access to information. An observation emerges: it has never been so difficult to be a police officer.

Anxiety in bed, inability to sleep, flashbackoverexposure to flashing lights, adrenaline: many police officers have to deal with significant sleep disorders which affect their mental health and their ability to work.

“I experienced events at the service which led to post-traumatic shock,” says Mélanie Leduc, police officer in Mirabel.

“In the evening, when I go to bed, I often come back to this in my head and the little hamster is always spinning,” she adds. Add to that life in general, social pressure, etc. At one point I got sick, I was exhausted.”

This patrol officer from the North Shore is far from being the only police officer to experience sleep disorders. Most of the time, these are attributable to atypical work schedules. Although we sense a desire on the part of police forces to change and offer more stable schedules, manpower issues make the project very complex.

But in light of all the research that has been done over the past few decades, it seems clear that police departments could now do better to provide a more “normal” lifestyle for their employees. In fact, recent studies indicate that 53% of Canadian police officers suffer from chronic insomnia.

The ideal, believes neurologist Alex Desautels, would be to offer consolidated schedules. For example, a month of day, a month of evening, then a month of night.

Although it may seem simple, it is far from being the norm in different police forces. Many still work “the old way,” according to our sources.

Deficiencies catch up with them

When he leaves the police academy, usually in his early twenties, and gets hired as a police officer, a young officer does not really feel the effects of sleep deprivation.

“But from the age of 30 or 35, our internal clock is less good at adapting to different changes and people become very tired,” adds Dr.^r Desautels, medical director of the Center for advanced studies in sleep medicine at the Integrated University Health and Social Services Center (CIUSSS) Nord-de-l’Île-de-Montréal.

And this age often corresponds to the arrival of young children, who need a well-established routine. Parent police officers who have atypical schedules also often postpone their “night” in order to enjoy some time with their little ones.

“Now is not the time to go play basketball with your child when you come home from work in the morning,” explains Dr.^r Desautels. It takes a buffer moment, of relaxation, to relieve stress and quickly bring you to sleep.

Online sleep therapy

Some police forces do business with the company HALEO, a fully digital solution that offers services to reduce sleep disorders.

“Police officers do not have to suffer from their sleep all their lives because of the career choice they made,” says the D^D Maude Bouchard, director of research and development at HALEO.

According to the D^D Bouchard, in addition to the atypical hours, the very nature of the work means that insomnia quickly carves out a place in the lives of police officers.

“It requires being constantly vigilant, always being on alert and always being ready to react. It’s completely normal that when you bring this baggage home, you have difficulty falling asleep.”