• Peter Lisman, Bradley M Ritland, Tina M Burke, Lisa Sweeney, and Devon A Dobrosielski.
• Department of Kinesiology, Towson University, Towson, MD 21252, USA.
• Mil Med. 2022 Oct 29; 187 (11-12): 131813291318-1329.

IntroductionMusculoskeletal injuries (MSKIs) are a significant health problem in the military. Accordingly, identifying risk factors associated with MSKI to develop targeted strategies that attenuate injury risk remains a top priority within the military. Insufficient sleep has garnered increased attention as a potential risk factor for MSKI in both civilians and military personnel. Yet, there are no systematic evaluations of the potential association between sleep and MSKI in the military. The purpose of this review is to examine the relationship between sleep and injury in military personnel.Materials And MethodsLiterature searches were performed in multiple electronic databases using keywords relevant to sleep quantity and quality, MSKI, and military populations. Two investigators independently assessed the methodological quality of each study using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale for cohort studies or an adapted form of this scale for cross-sectional studies.ResultsThe search yielded 2402 total citations, with 8 studies (3 cohort and 5 cross-sectional) fitting the inclusion criteria. Overall, the systematic review found 5 of the 8 reviewed studies supporting an association between sleep (quality and duration) and MSKI in military personnel. Specifically, poor sleep was associated with increased injury incidence in 2 cohort and 3 cross-sectional studies.ConclusionThis is the first systematic review to evaluate the published literature on the association between sleep and MSKI risk in military populations. Although there is currently limited research on this topic, findings suggest that sleep is associated with MSKI and should be considered when designing strategies aimed at reducing MSKI risk in military personnel.© The Association of Military Surgeons of the United States 2022. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

24 keywords...

hide…