OBJECTIVES:
By the end of this training, participants will be able to:
- Explain the physiological and psychological impact of sleep deprivation in First Responders, including effects of decision-making, reaction time, emotional regulation, cardiovascular health, and mental health.
- Identify how shift work, trauma exposure, and circadian disruption uniquely affect sleep in First Responder professions
- Recognize early warning signs of chronic sleep debt and fatigue-related impairment in themselves and colleagues, including increased irritability, reduced situational awareness, and burnout risk.
- Describe the relationship between poor sleep, substance use, and mental health outcomes, including increased risk for anxiety, depression, PTSD, and maladaptive coping strategies.
- Apply evidence-based sleep recovery strategies that can be realistically implemented within First Responder schedules, including:
- Strategic napping/Yoga Nidra
- Light exposure management
- Sleep environment optimization
- Caffeine and stimulant timing
- Pre- and post-shift wind-down routines
- Utilize brief nervous system regulation techniques (e.g. breathwork, Yoga Nidra, body-based relaxation) to improve sleep onset and recovery following high-stress or traumatic calls
- Understand organizational and cultural barriers to sleep in First Responder settings and identify strategies to advocate for healthier sleep practices
- Increase awareness of when to seek professional support and commit to at least one actionable sleep recovery behavior change to improve long-term health, performance, and safety.
LOCATION:
Spencer Hospital's Oak Conference Room
1200 First Ave E
Spencer, IA, 51301
INTENDED AUDIENCE:
First Responders and Healthcare Professionals.
PURPOSE: This course is designed for First Responders to learn how sleep loss is intricately linked to leading causes of health problems in that profession. By seeing research on the efficacy of sleep recovery practices and participating in simple, guided relaxation methods, they will learn to recognize and address early warning signs of sleep debt, including reduced situational awareness and reaction time, increased emotional dis-regulation, and burnout.
CONTINUING EDUCATION:
Nurses: A certificate of attendance will be provided upon completion of the program. Retaining a program brochure as documentation of participation is strongly encouraged. Nurses determine whether course content meets the Iowa Board of Nursing’s criteria for appropriate continuing education.
EMS: CEH’s have been applied for through Iowa Lakes Community College.
Participants must attend the entire program and meet the course criteria to receive continuing education credit.
REGISTRATION FEE:
NO FEE is required for this event!
Registration requested 24 hours prior to class. No late registrations accepted.
Spencer Hospital reserves the right to cancel this program if there is insufficient enrollment. In this event, every attempt will be made to notify enrollees prior to the event.
Payment Note:
This training is grant funded no registration fee required.