December 21st, 2011

In the first study of its kind, researchers surveyed 5,000 police officers in the US and found that a whopping 40% of them suffered from sleep disorders - most of them undiagnosed until the study.

Those with sleep apnea, reports NPR, “had much higher risk of diabetes (61 percent), depression (150 percent), emotional burnout (270 percent) and risk of falling asleep while driving home from work (126 percent).”  They also were more likely to have citizen complaints filed against them.

The one state with lower sleep apnea rates than anywhere else? Massachusetts, where officers are required to pass an annual fitness test- they’re less likely to be obese.