Derbyshire Police Federation secretary Kirsty Bunn has urged members to take advantage of a two-part webinar held on the art of effectively managing sleep. 

The webinar saw Oscar Kilo, the National Police Wellbeing Service, team up with sleep expert Dr Sophie Bostock for a pair of online sessions, specifically designed for police officers.

“I think some really important work has been done with the production of these sessions. Unfortunately, there are police officers out there whose sleep will suffer as a result of dedication to their jobs,” said Kirsty.  

“Improving the quality of your rest is undoubtedly one of the best things you can do for your day-to-day wellbeing, but it’s not as easy as just going and doing it. This information tells Federation members how they can do it.” 

Part one saw TedX speaker Sophie share her expertise on the systems that control sleep and use examples from colleagues in policing to help audience members understand what healthy sleep management can look like in the profession. 

Discussing the 'Catch-22' of behaviour being more difficult to change as sleep deprivation worsens, Sophie emphasised the need for change that is easy to put into practice. 

“The sessions had a great balance to them because the scientific explanations behind it all were followed up by real practical steps. No one wants advice that is unrealistic and vague, like ‘go to bed at 7pm’ or ‘try and switch off after work’ - and certainly not police officers,” Kirsty continued. 

Addressed in part two was the way in which sleep problems can develop into longer-term disorders, such as insomnia, that police staff may be susceptible to due to shift work and operational stressors. 

Both parts of the webinar are available for Federation members to watch for free on the Oscar Kilo website and Kirsty says they will benefit every viewer. 

She ended: “I’m sure members who attended will be feeling the boost of such powerful information and any member who watches the recordings will feel the same.” 

To access the webinars, members are advised to log into their Oscar Kilo account or create an account for free. Part one can be viewed here, and part two, here.

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