Sleep-tember – are you getting enough?
1 September 2026
Officers are being reminded of the wide range of support to help them get enough sleep available through the National Police Wellbeing Service (Oscar Kilo).
Sleeptember runs from 1 to 30 September each year and aims to raise awareness of the importance of sleep and promoting healthy sleep habits.
“With this in mind, we thought it would be worthwhile to remind members that there are resources on the Oscar Kilo website that can help anyone struggling with their sleep patterns, or perhaps having trouble adapting their sleep routines when working shifts,” says Ali Rowe, West Midlands Police Federation’s health and safety and wellbeing lead.
“There is a lot of research going into the effects of disrupted sleep with the BBC publishing an in-depth feature about the hidden cost of night shifts in July this year.
“The article explained how scientists are looking into whether changing the way in which those working night shifts approach sleep could help ease the ill-effects of disrupted nights. Their studies are testing if splitting sleep into two blocks, rather than trying to force one long sleep during the day, could be the best and most effective sleep pattern for night shift workers.
“We will await the final results of these studies but in the meantime I would urge anyone who does not feel they are getting enough sleep to take a look at the Oscar Kilo website and find out more about the support the wellbeing service can offer.
“Policing is a challenging career, the demand on officers is huge and the incidents they deal with can be tough. The pressure can build and we know morale is low. Anyone struggling with a lack of sleep is going to find all that far harder to deal with.”
Oscar Kilo has teamed up with the sleep scientist Dr Sophie Bostock to create a ‘Better Sleep Toolkit’ aimed at supporting police officers, staff, and volunteers with fatigue and sleep problems.
The toolkit includes a four-week online better sleep course, a series of webinars covering everything from solving insomnia, nightmares and snoring and sleeping when you have babies and young children. There is also a range of other advice – all aimed at helping people in policing improve their sleep.
Now, more than ever, officers need support to address any sleep issues they may have, says Ali, pointing to the results of the National Police Workforce and Wellbeing Survey which were published in July and showed:
- 44 per cent of respondents reporting regular emotional exhaustion due to work, compared to 32 per cent in the NHS
- 45 per cent reporting regular burn-out because of their job, compared to 35 per cent in the NHS
- 56 per cent reporting regular physical exhaustion due to work.
Ali explains: “We all know that a lack of sleep can make everything so much harder to cope with so I just want people to be aware that there is support out there for anyone who may be struggling. There is no magic solution, of course, but some of the resources available may just help,” Ali explains.
West Midlands Police is one of the first forces to adopt the new ResetU app which focuses on sleep fatigue and recovery in policing reflecting the realities of shift work, high workloads, sustained pressure or exposure to difficult incidents.
The app focuses on practical support for:
- Sleep
- Fatigue
- Recovery
- Everyday wellbeing behaviours such as movement, hydration and nutrition.
It provides simple tools people can use before, during or after shifts, alongside personalised guidance and access to additional support.
Oscar Kilo is endorsing the app and supporting forces who choose to adopt ResetU as part of their wider wellbeing offer.
ResetU has been shaped through extensive engagement with the policing workforce, including input from more than 2,000 officers and staff. Its approach has also been evaluated through the Police STAR study, delivered in partnership with Liverpool John Moores University.
That research found that people using the ResetU tools reported improvements in areas including sleep, stress management, resilience and intention to remain in policing.
How to sleep better after a night shift – a guide for police | Oscar Kilo
Support for families with young children | Oscar Kilo
Brand new Fatigue Risk Management Toolkit launches | Oscar Kilo
