0329 Cleared for Takeoff: Sleep Leadership Training for Air Traffic Control Instructors

Abstract Introduction Chronic sleep insufficiency is a serious threat to military readiness in the United States. Many military members develop poor sleep habits early in their career. Career fields such as Air Traffic Control (ATC) are at greater risk for sleep and performance concerns. Sleep health is determined by individual, social, and systemic factors. Thus, a multilevel approach is warranted, including leveraging leaders’ influence to promote sleep health within high-risk communities. The present study examined baseline sleep and sleep leadership behaviors among Air Force ATC training leaders. Sleep leadership is defined as awareness about benefits of good sleep health and promotion of helpful sleep habits among peers/subordinates. Methods Participants were 44 ATC instructors and military training leaders who completed an anonymous pre-training survey and then received an hour-long sleep leadership intervention. The baseline survey included the Split Week Self-Assessment of Sleep Survey as well as the Sleep Leadership Questionnaire, a self-report instrument measuring how often leaders engage in behaviors to promote healthy sleep among students. Participants then rated satisfaction and relevancy of the training and provided qualitative feedback on action steps they were considering Results Summary statistics indicated that leaders’ total sleep time (TST), on average, was 6.04 hours (SD=1.63, IQR=1.87) on weekdays and 7.06 hours (SD=2.44, IQR=2.81) on weekends. Ninety-one percent reported they regularly (i.e., “sometimes”/“often”/“always”) instruct students to get adequate sleep, but only 55% reported they inform Airmen about healthy sleeping habits (Fisher’s exact p=0.036) Leaders agreed the training was interesting (endorsed by 77%) and relevant (endorsed by 68%), and 64% reported the training would help them as a leader. Qualitative data showed that many leaders identified specific action steps they planned to implement with ATC students. Conclusion Results suggested leaders tell students to prioritize sleep, but rarely provide specific behavioral tips for improving sleep or model optimal sleep behavior. Leaders noted the training was relevant to their role and identified concrete steps to promote sleep among their students. ATC leaders are highly respected by their students, and targeting sleep leadership appears to be a feasible and acceptable solution within a multi-level approach for improving sleep among high-risk military career fields Support (if any)