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Lynne Lamberg

JAMA. 2004;291:2415-2417.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

Bethesda, Md—After days of prisoner-of-war simulations that involved sleep deprivation, young US Army Special Forces soldiers had trouble thinking, multitasking, and hitting targets accurately. Asked if they could continue the grueling routine, however, all claimed, "Good to go, sir!"

"Senior officers told us sleep is a sign of weakness," recalled one of those soldiers, now US Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona, MD, MPH.

Sleep disordered breathing frequently goes undiagnosed. It may be treated with continuous positive airway pressure delivered through a mask worn over the nose.

The same attitude pervaded his training as a surgeon 25 years ago, Carmona said. It persists today, increasing the risk of medical errors. Regulations limiting residents to 80 work hours per week that went into effect last July, he said, in some places are "still being circumvented and ignored, especially in surgery."

Chronic sleep loss and untreated sleep disorders harm the . . . [Full Text of this Article]