Introduction
How do military personnel maintain operational resilience in demanding circumstances? Consider mental pressure (such as time constraints, worry, or threat) and physical stress (such as pain or sleep deprivation). Conditions like disrupted sleep and high stress can negatively impact performance and health. We aim to better understand how the brain and behavior adapt under these demanding circumstances. With this knowledge, we can develop strategies to improve performance and maintain health, even under challenging circumstances.
To achieve this, it is important to first examine how behavior and health are affected under challenging conditions. However, many studies on topics like sleep disruption are carried out in controlled settings. This project focuses on measuring behavior and health (specifically: sleep, stress, and alertness) in real-life contexts such as military field trainings.
Project overview
Objective:
To test how sleep, stress, and alertness can be reliably measured in an operational military environment.
Target group:
Military personnel participating in a multi-day field training.
Timeline:
Data collection was completed in April 2025.
Results:
The first results are expected in the course of 2025.